What is Love?

Shouldn’t we understand the meaning of love in order to love?  There have probably been more songs written about the subject of love than any other topic.  Entire libraries and art galleries have been filled with inspiring works about love.  But what is love anyway?

Jesus left us with this parting message during the Last Supper:

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
 ~ John 13:34-35 (NIV)

The greatest definition of love that satisfies my heart and fulfills the entire law of God Almighty was written by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth. Corinth was a corrupt city whose system and culture was driven with idolatry and immorality.  Believers at Corinth were struggling with divisions, as some were falling prey to the influences of their environment – trying to blend their newly found faith in Jesus with the old traditions of “enlightenment” (what is right is wrong and vice versa).  Other church members at Corinth were feeling the crunch of living for God in heathen surroundings.  The spiritual warfare must have been intense!

Doesn’t that resemble the church today?  But Paul was inspired by God to reach out to them with this treasured poetic teaching on God’s perfect love that has stood the test of time:

1”If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If 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 do not have love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor
and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy;
It does not boast, it is not proud.
5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth.
7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there are is knowledge, it will pass away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11When I was a child, I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child. When I became a man,
I put the ways of childhood behind me.
12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love,
But the greatest of these is love.” ~ I Cor. 13 (NIV)

I wish this scripture on love would be broadcast on the news channels, social media, and printed in every newspaper every day.  I wish that it would be the highest ranking bit of propaganda ever spread throughout the nations; because true love really is world-changing.

That’s what love is – world-changing!

 

Another thought: When our time on earth is done, will we be remembered for having a heart poured out in true love?

God bless and thank you for following ImportantStuff.live.

Living Water at the Well

Jesus stopped at Jacob’s Well located at Sychar while traveling through Samaria on His way from Judea to Galilee (John 4:1-42 NIV).  He was tired and thirsty.  It was about noon, and His disciples had gone into town for food.  When a Samaritan woman came by to draw water from the well, Jesus asked if she would give Him a drink.  At first she questioned His intentions, since it was not the custom of Jews to interact with Samaritans.  Jesus simply stated that if she knew who she was speaking with, she would have asked Him for a drink of water; and He would have given her Living Water.

Jesus the Sower:

Most people have heard this story, but many only remember about the sins of the woman, since she admitted to Jesus that she currently had no husband, but had been married a total of five times.  But this story is really about how Jesus worked His ministry here on earth.  It is about sowing the seeds of Truth, and reaping a harvest of souls.  The divine appointment between the woman and the Holy Son of God at Jacob’s Well was just the opportunity Jesus used to sow His Good News to a whole town of Samaritan residents .  Jesus already knew about the marital history of this woman.  She confessed that what Jesus said about her was true, and He agreed with her honesty about it.  She recognized Jesus as a prophet but her reaction was doubt.  She evaded the topic of Living Water that He introduced.  Realizing that He knew personal details of her life may have made her uncomfortable or distrustful of how those facts played into the mysterious Living Water topic Jesus mentioned.  Instead of being immediately receptive to His Word, she changed the subject to a long standing controversial religious topic .

“20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. “

Jesus patiently explained that neither place is a valid location for true worship any longer.  She must have been shocked when Jesus said,

“23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Jesus had just made an earth-changing prophetic statement, and she blew it off.  Of all things!  A prophet who sounds like a false teacher! – One who speaks with authority claiming the only acceptable worship to God is something called “worship in the Spirit and truth”!

25The woman said, “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” 26Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you – I am He.”

Whereupon the disciples returned with lunch, and the woman made her hasty escape; leaving her water jar at the well.  She missed the most perfect opportunity of a lifetime to ask important questions of the True Messiah, for He had just told her, in effect: “You are speaking to Him.  What would you like for Me to explain?”  Instead of receiving His teaching right then and there (perhaps intimidated by the arrival of the Jewish disciples), she dropped everything and ran straight into town.  She spread the news that a prophet had just arrived at Jacob’s Well claiming to be the promised Messiah; and convinced the town folk to follow her back to the well for further investigation into the matter.

39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

It sounds like they only believed that he was a prophet of God, however.  Jesus stayed two days at Sychar at the invitation of the Samaritans in order to teach them the Truth about Himself – That He IS The Living Water.

Jesus the Reaper of the Harvest:

41And because of His words many more became believers. 42They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

See, the woman only spread the news that a convincing prophet was traveling by, and asked the townspeople to investigate as to whether he might be the promised Messiah.  “Is not this the Christ?” she asked of them.  I have to believe, as do many Bible scholars, that the Samaritan woman truly accepted Jesus as her Savior Messiah at some point during His visit to her town.  The scripture account does not specifically say either way, but she did testify of Jesus to others, and because she blew the shofar, so to speak, many became believers.  Aside from John the Baptist, she is known as one of the first or possibly the first witness for Jesus as the Messiah.  Her example for spreading the news of His arrival has been told for centuries. This story of a woman who took immediate action and verbally testified of her meeting Jesus, has inspired thousands of believers to share that Jesus is the Messiah.

I am not surprised that many more believed that Jesus was the Messiah than the first bunch of “prophet followers” after the whole town heard His complete teaching on Living Water. That was His true purpose for stopping in Sychar and asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water.  He used the woman to announce His coming into the town.  He wanted to give a drink of Living Water to as many as would believe more than He wanted to be given a drink of well water.

Through Personal Testimony:

In verse 37, while the woman was heralding the town for a trip back to the well to confront Jesus about who He was; Jesus had just spent his lunch teaching His disciples about the truthful saying, “One sows and another reaps”.  Yet Jesus was not only the Sower in this story, but He was also the Reaper of the harvest.  Here is a wonderful example of Christ’s zeal for serving the Father.  He did the Father’s work, and did it with perfect completion.  He gave His own personal testimony to the world.  He planted.  He taught the Truth.  Before He left town after a two day visit, He reaped a big harvest for God’s kingdom.  Jesus showed us that personal testimony is crucial to sharing the Good News of His Gospel.  Throughout His ministry He taught new believers to give personal witness to His works of healings, miracles, signs and wonders; so that many more would believe.  HALLELUJAH – PRAISE HIM FOREVER MORE!!!

Sharing the Good News:

Have you believed in Jesus, The Living Water?  If not, I encourage you to trust Jesus with all your heart now, for today is the joyful day of salvation.  Here is a helpful link:

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God bless.

The Eastern Orthodox Church tradition about the Samaritan woman at the well is found at wikipedia.com under Interpretations.  The traditions tell of her faith, baptism, persecution, and martyrdom.  Interesting stuff.

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Heaven or Earth?

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.  Aim at earth and you get neither.
C. S. Lewis

Have my eyes been on heaven or earth this week?  Whenever I take my eyes off the prize of heaven I find that my earthly endeavors produce zilch.  As in the wisdom of C.S. Lewis, I gain nothing in the spiritual realm or natural realm – a double loss.  When I focus on achieving earthly gain, the precious time given me by my good Father was wasted.  No amount of repentance, crying, or regret will ever bring it back.

Praise Almighty God! He reminds:

“19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~ Matt. 6:19-21 (NIV)

Prayer:  “Abba in heaven, help me to resist temptation to live for self, to stay the course, and to focus on serving You as my highest priority every day.  Thank You for being my Rock, My High Tower of Strength, for loving me; and for sending angels to watch over me and my family, even when my time was spent in trivial pursuits.  In the name of Yeshua, my Salvation, Amen.”

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Starting Over – A Reset

We have all experienced the need for “starting over”.  It can be a painful prospect, but in many cases, a reset is the only solution.

Setting a new course can be just the thing necessary to set us free from heartache, guilt, doubt, addiction, unfruitfulness; or in the case of spiritual warfare, a total rebirth:

“7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’. 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ~ John 3:7-8 (NIV)

God chose a flood to wipe out the wickedness that man had caused on the earth (Genesis 6). Rather than destroy man completely, God provided a way of escape for Noah and his family by calling upon Noah to build an ark.  Through faith, Noah was allowed a means of starting over – a reset, if you will.  The victorious reset in history over mankind’s separation from God is the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after His crucifixion.  Praise God, we serve a Living Christ!  Another major reset for mankind will take place in the future when our Messiah returns and sets up His kingdom on earth – the Millennial Age.  These examples of God’s resets show that God’s love for us is not to be defeated.  He has not given up on us, but His plan requires starting over.

I chose this feature photo because the rainbow reminds me of God’s faithful promise to never again consume the earth with a flood.  He placed the rainbow in the skies as evidence of His promise.  After the rains, the flooding will pass.

Starting over is like that for me.  The world consumed me like a flood, but the flooding has passed.  God’s magnificent rainbow of promise lies before me, and I rejoice in starting over in Him.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” ~ James 4:8a (ESV)
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” ~ Galations 6:9 (KJV)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide you a way out so that you can endure it.” ~ I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Great is the Lord, and Greatly to be Praised!

God bless you.

Photo credit: unknown

 

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The Great Mystery

“A mystery in the Bible is a previously unrevealed truth that was not fully revealed until the New Testament. The mystery that is revealed in 1 Timothy 3:16 is that Jesus Christ was wholly man, and wholly God, or God of very God.” ~ Cooper Abrams

 

Link to “The Mystery of Godliness/Jesus Christ is God/I Timothy 3:16” by Cooper Abrams at http://www.bible-truth.org/myst-6.htm

 

Encouragement – “see pg 381”

The Word of God is living and active.  It pries, prods, kicks and squirms;twists, shoves, rips and tears its way into every crook and cranny of the minds and hearts of men until all is “open and laid bare”.  Then – redemption.

The Apostle Paul sums up Dad’s message in the most compelling statement:

12″For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” ~ Hebrews 4:12-13 (Dad’s NT Bible)

 

Paul points out that God’s works were finished from the foundation of the world.  Then He rested on the seventh day (Sabbath).  God intended for man to enter into that rest with Him, but man rebelled (Heb. 4:1-5).  Without accepting God’s plan of redemption through faith in Jesus , man may never enter God’s rest.  Without acknowledging his sin, and accepting Jesus as Messiah, man is eternally barred from entering into an everlasting relationship with his Creator.

BUT GOD!  In His infinite mercy and grace, God provided His living Word as a testament to His abiding love for all men.  He made a plan for redemption. His Son fulfilled the Father’s plan on the cross. Christ defeated death, and God gave His Living Word to proclaim the Good News to let men know about it.

again He sets a certain day, “Today”, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” ~ Hebrews 4:7 (Dad’s NT Bible)

I thank and praise God for laying my sins bare.  His living Word pursued me like a Lion. It found my hidden parts; then pierced my mind and heart, dividing me asunder. I give Him glory everlasting and thank Him for allowing me to strive for rest in Him.  When I get discouraged it’s usually because I have spent too much time caught up in the “cares of this world” with less time in God’s Word.  Those distractions cause me to be fruitless, while choking God’s Word (Mark 4:18-19).

So here is the last part of the message of encouragement that Dad marked at the bottom of page 381:

Hollis10

I think it means perseverance.  What do you think?

 

Proof of Sight

Reblogging this excellent post on the necessary component of healing.

The River Walk's avatarTHE RIVER WALK

proof of sight

 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (Mark 10:52)

Read: Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalm 45:1-17, Proverbs 10:22

Relate: The miracle isn’t complete until the change takes place. Before talking about Bartimaeus I want to talk about another miracle Jesus performed. He came upon ten lepers who asked Him for healing. Jesus told those men to go to the priest and perform the ceremony (mentioned here) for those who have been cleansed from infectious skin diseases. Now Luke is very clear to let us know that those lepers were cleansed and healed. After this healing, only one of those ten men came back to Jesus to thank Him. When this former leper met Jesus, the Master said to him, “Rise and go. Your faith has made you well.”

Each and every one of those ten…

View original post 463 more words

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Encouragement – “see pg 397”

“22But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror: 24for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.” ~ James 1:22-25 (Dad’s NT Bible)

What does a “doer of the Word” look like?  A good picture could be found in Matthew chapter 11.  John the Baptist was imprisoned by King Herod and sent two of his disciples to Jesus:

3to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” ~ Matthew 11:3-6 (NIV)

So, do what Jesus did.  He lived the Father’s plan for His life on earth.  He didn’t just read the redemption plan up in heaven and never came to earth to fulfill it.  Believers are to live out God’s plan for them in the same way; not just read about it in His Word.

A hearer of the Word remembers to look at himself in the mirror every morning but forgets the Word as soon as he leaves the house.  A “doer of the Word” forgets to look in the mirror in the morning but remembers the Word as soon as he leaves the house – and does it.

GospelSharing

What does it take to be a “doer that acts”?  Faith that is genuine.  Even though Dad may have become discouraged in his walk with Christ, his faith was genuine.  He has been gone for almost 40 years but neighbors still mention him not as just a “good guy”, but as a man who lived for God.  Some still don’t believe in Jesus, but they respect Dad for showing that he did.

The great news is that a doer of the Word shall be blessed in his doing!

6 “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy ,9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-10 (NIV)

Encouragement – “see pg 381” is the last notations from Dad in his NT Bible and contains the most important message that he personally left in my keepsake from him on encouragement.

God bless.

 

Photo credit: ©Can Stock Photo Inc/Ha4ipuri
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Many gods, but Only One Savior

There are many gods, but only one Savior.

9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no Savior. ~ Isaiah 43:9-11 (NIV)

Encouragement – “see pg 130”

The heart of the servant is what God looks at.  Being encouraged to do God’s will is not always what we want to hear.  We want Him to support us doing OUR will.

41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” 42 The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? 43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” ~ Luke 12:41-48(NIV)

“The Heart of a Servant” would have been a good title for this post.  Jesus declared Himself to be a “Servant of the Father” many times in scripture.  What was His heart?  Plainly, He loved us so much that He gave ALL on the cross for us.  Christ took our severe punishment (death) which we deserve even though He was blameless.  He was the One who has given much.  Therefore, since believers are to be like Him, much will be required of His followers.

Jesus is teaching in Luke 12:41-48 that there are basically three groups of servants and how a master dealt with each group:

  1. Faithful, sensible servants – rewarded
  2. Unfaithful, disobedient servants – received severe punishment
  3. Innocently disobedient servants – received light punishment

Group One:        The faithful obedient servants – This is the group that all Christians believe (or hope) they have membership in.  Group One will inherit God’s kingdom, but Jesus also reveals that it does not come without cost (verse 48b).  It’s called taking up our cross and following Him.  The cross of every believer is to be the same as His cross.  Men will always exact a heavy penalty for those who they consider to be against the establishment.  The world will scoff, ridicule and persecute every believer who is dedicated to being a servant of the Father (like Jesus). Verses 43 and 44 are the scriptures that all believers love to hear, though; the ones that mention reward for faithful service.  Jesus gives a detailed description of Group One, represented by the churches of Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Philadelphia (Rev. 3:8-12).  The church of Smyrna is the poor, but spiritually rich church, to which Jesus promises He will give the crown of life. The church of Philadelphia is known as the church that is loyal to Christ; the church that perseveres and is watchful for His coming.  Jesus promises the church of Philadelphia not only a crown of life, but for overcomers, a pillar in the temple of God and a permanent home in the temple of God; that the name of God, the new name of Christ, a brand new name for the church, and a new name for the New Jerusalem, will all be written upon them.  Group One is the group Jesus loves to love.

Group Two:        The unfaithful disobedient servants – The master cuts them to ribbons and then banishes them from His kingdom as unbelievers!  Harsh?  That is what Jesus said they deserved.  “Wouldn’t it be fair to just let us repent and forgive us?” cries Group Two.  It is the saddest thing to contemplate, but God knows the heart.  Evidently, Group Two does not have loyalty to the master or the heart of a servant.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  ~ James 1:22 NIV

Group Three:     The innocently disobedient servants – This group could possibly be servants that Group Two influenced, trained, or misled.  They may not be doers of the Word simply because they don’t know what the Word says.  Maybe they never read it.  Or, they may have fallen prey to false teaching, immorality, or idolatry.  Skeptical?   A better description of Group Three is given by Jesus in His message to the seven churches found in the Book of Revelation chapters 2-3. The other five churches besides Smyrna and Philadelphia are listed:

  1. Church of Ephesus – Fundamental Doctrine, but lacking Love
  2. Church of Church of Pergamos – False Doctrine, immorality
  3. Church of Thyatira – Allowed a False Prophetess to teach
  4. Church of Sardis – Dead works
  5. Church of Laodicea – Lukewarm

“Weren’t we just carnal Christians or backsliders?” asks Group Three.   Jesus encourages Group Three to repent and be overcomers.

Page 130 of Dad’s Bible contains Christ’s instructional encouragement to believers.  Instructional encouragement is based on “here is the truth.  These are your options and there are consequences – you choose”.

The “take-away” for this writer in layman’s language is:

Jesus lovingly instructed Group One, “Great job!  Keep doing what you are doing.  I will be back soon.  Hold down the fort until I come.  If you need help, I left more instructions in My Word.  Send me messages for guidance.  I will answer.  Stand strong, don’t give up, and you will be rewarded.”

Jesus banished Group Two with “Depart from Me!  I never knew you!”

Jesus praised Group Three, “I know you thought you were serving me, but you have made some mistakes, and have been suffering the consequences of your bad decisions. Now that you are aware, turn back to me and I will forgive you.  Don’t be discouraged.  Study My Word, and share it with others; persevere, and I will bring your reward with me when I come back.”

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” ~ Rev 3:19 (NIV)

 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” ~ Rev. 22:12 (NIV)

Maranatha!  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

The next posting Encouragement – “See pg 397” will be coming out soon, Lord willing.  Don’t miss it by following ImportantStuff.live!

God bless.

Here is a link to a brief commentary from LifeHope &Truth that highlights the encouragements that Jesus gave to each of the Seven Churches of Revelation .