Gospel gems - Love others

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34

Have you ever had a problem with loving other people? There are some people who “rub” us the wrong way. We clash with some and meld with others.

Jesus said these words to his disciples at the last supper. Jesus knew this was the last supper and He also knew that someone would betray Him. He starts off saying, “a new commandment I give to you”. Commandment in the Greek means an authoritative prescription:- commandment, precept. I love that “an authoritative prescription”. Jesus wanted the disciples not to just take it but swallow it down. Absorb the meaning and perform the action.

Wow! God actually wants me to love other people. Not just love others but love them the way Jesus loves us.

Is it possible? Yes, because it is what God told us to do.

Is it hard? Absolutely! But “I can do all things through Christ”. Loving the unlovely was just one of the many things Jesus did. Can I do any less? Can you?

The other thing I noticed about this verse is that Jesus said it twice, “that you love one another”. When something is said twice it means pay attention. Let’s pay attention and start to show and share the love of Jesus!

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Love the Lord

O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Psalm 31:23

Love the Lord is the command we see in this verse. Why,you may ask,should we love God? Look further, the verse says He will preserve the faithful, those who trust and believe Him. The verse ends with, He will “plentifully rewardeth the proud doer”. God will reward the proud people also, they will get their “just desserts”.

I love God’s word, it always shows both sides of a situation. Love and be faithful to God and he will preserve you which means He will protect and guard you.

The other side of the coin is to be proud and act like you do not need God. You are fine and it is you and you alone. Proud in this verse means arrogance. God is going to give them more than enough (plentifully) “rewards”. This is not the type of reward one would want to receive but, he will be rewarded for his behavior.

Albert Barnes says, “Abundantly” rewards. Literally, “in plenty.” That is, his punishment does not fall short of the desert of the wicked man. It is ample or full. He does full justice.

February is “love month”. Who better should we love but our Great and Wonderful Heavenly Father.

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Conclusion of Jude

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25

The Lord deserves all our praise, all our love, everything. He is the only One who can keep us from falling. He is always there. He loves us with an everlasting love; we need to reciprocate that love. We need to praise Him for Who He is – The God creator of the Universe.

As I finished the book of Jude, I started to look up verses that glorify and praised God. As you walk your daily path today, take a few minutes to read the verses below. Write one verse down to carry with you as a reminder of our great and wonderful Lord.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Psalm 150:2

But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:1

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2

The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Psalm 113:4

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1Timothy 1:17

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Who is God?

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. Micah 7:18

Think for a few minutes, Who is God? It is breath taking, when you really think about who God is. We tend to take God for granted, treating Him like He is “one of the guys”. He is not one of the guys but the Great and wonderful God who made YOU. I sometimes wonder how people think. God is not in the “game” business, playing the game of I’ll do this for you God if you answer this prayer, _______ fill in the blank.

He does not do things our way. Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. He knows what is best. He knows the whole story. He is the all knowing God.

It is mind boggling when you think of the great universe and the Great Creator of the universe. Spending a few minutes at lunch time, I came up with a few descriptions of God.

Alpha and Omega
Beginning and End
Creator
Great I AM
Not a man
The self existing eternal One
Jesus
He is never ending
He is never changing
The same yesterday, today and forever
He is always there
Savior
Forgiving
Master
Personal God
The Only God
Word
Jehovah
Eliohim
Awesome
Longsuffering

The list goes on and on. God loves me and has done more than I could ever imagine. What can I do for Him?

Fear God
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

Obey God
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

Reverence God
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: Hebrews 12:28

Love God
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30

Have a blessed day,
Donna

Walk in love

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; [2] And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

We need to be followers of God. Remember when you were a child and played follow the leader. Someone would lead and all the “followers” would do the exact same thing. It would be very easy to follow God if He was here in the flesh, but that is where faith comes in. We need to follow Him in faith. The only way to follow in faith is to open up God’s word and read and study it for ourselves. God’s word is not hidden to those who diligently look.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

One of the ways to follow is by walking in love. Adam Clarke says to walk in love is to “Let every act of life be dictated by love to God and man.” The only way to do this is by taking one step at a time. Every walk starts with a step. What is the next step in your love walk?

Throughout the month I have talked about love, God’s love to us, our love to God and our love to others. Take a few minutes today to mediate on a “love” verse. Which verse “jumped out” at you this month, leave a comment to let me know.

Have a lovely day
Donna

Loving God

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, [13] To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

This is what God required of Israel, but has it changed? No, the principle is the same. God wants us to show our love to Him. He doesn’t just want lip service but to show by our obedience and tell Him.

The Hebrew meaning of require is to inquire, to request, to demand. Let’s look at the four agenda items:

1. Fear God – We need to have a reverence of who God is. He is the great I AM, the Eternal One, Alpha & Omega.
2. Walk in all his ways – Are we walking in the way that He would have us go. Do we pray and ask Him to show us the way?
3. Love him – When we love someone we spend time with them and talk to them. Do we put time aside to spend with God?
4. Serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart & with all thy soul – How is your service to God?

All the above is what God requires of us – why! The end of the passage explains, “for thy good.” It is too hard for me to do all this you say, God knows this. We can do nothing in our own strength. But we can do everything in God’s strength and power. We need to ask God and He will enable us to do what He asks.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Psalm 25:4

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Matthew 7:7
Wow, this is certainly a tall order, but after looking at my notes from the past, I can see God never asks us to do the impossible. With God all things are possible. We need to believe in faith, that God is with us every step of the way.

Have a great day.
Donna

Love your neighbor

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

This is a command from God, do not avenge (take vengeance), don’t bear grudges, love your neighbor as yourself.

The New Testament repeats “love thy neighbor as thyself” eight times. Eight is the number of new beginnings. We need a new beginning in our relationship with others. A neighbor is anyone we have an association with, it can be a family member, a co-worker, someone who lives near door.

Holding grudges will not do anything but harm you. Have you ever been mad at someone or held hard feelings toward them? I did, years ago I had an argument with an elderly neighbor. I said some things that I shouldn’t have said. I was justified in myself, that I was right. Whenever I saw her I would look the other way, likewise she would not look in my direction. I didn’t see her outside often but when I did I would avoid going by her house.

This went on for many years, seven to be exact. Many months would go by and I wouldn’t see her. One day I was going to pick up my children at school. I noticed she was outside, as I got into my car it was like a voice saying, “you need to apologize and make it right”. Looking at my watch I realized I was going to be late if I didn’t leave right then. I didn’t have time to stop now! Do you think I was looking for an excuse not to obey God?

The persistent thought would not go away. I stopped my car in front of her house and got out. My neighbor was working in her flower beds. She did not turn about when she heard the car door. I called and she turned around, not very excited to see me. I asked if I could speak to her for a few minutes. I apologized and asked her to forgive me for the words I had said many years ago. She came over and gave me a big hug.

From that point on we were good neighbors. I wasted seven years by being stubborn and holding a grudge. This is not something I’m proud of, but it is something I learned. I try, with the Lord’s help, not to hold grudges. Likewise if I feel that someone is holding a grudge against me I’ll ask them if I did something to offend them. We need to be tender to the leading of the Spirit.

Look at the quotes I found:

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ~anonymous

Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ~Malachy McCourt

“He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself” -Chinese Proverbs quotes
Are you holding grudges or hard feelings? Pray and ask the Lord to show you how to make it right.

Have a great day.
Donna

Love your enemies Part II

Luke 6:32-37
For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. [33] And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. [34] And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. [35] But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Jesus continues with the sermon on the mount. He is teaching how to love others. This is not an easy task but with the Lord’s help anything is possible. God gives us the strength to obey His word.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
We are no different than the unsaved when we only love the people who love us or only do good to those that do good to us. As Christians, we need to be different. We need to show love to all people. This is a commandment from God. The book of Mark states in 12:30-31:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. [31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Let’s think of a few examples where we can do something loving.When was the last time you were in the grocery store and someone in line had a crying baby and more groceries than you. The loving thing to do would be to let her go in front of you.

Do we act loving while driving, I’m speaking to myself here. I have a tendency to call names to people who do not drive very carefully –cutting me off, driving on my bumper, you get the picture. The Lord has been speaking to me in this area. He created those people too. Who am I to call them names, even though they can’t hear me. God hears all. I have been trying with the Lord’s help to “clean up my act”.

What about lending? Have you ever lent someone something and never got it back? God says let them have it. If you let someone borrow something don’t expect it back, if it does come back that will just be a bonus. God says if we have this attitude the reward will be great.

Now for the clincher, the end of verse 37 says, He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Talk about conviction. Have you ever been unthankful or evil, God is kind to all of us. Can we do any less? God is our great example. We need to have unconditional love to others, just like God has towards us.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Be loving, as opportunities arise.

Have a great day.
Donna

Love your enemies Part I

Luke 6:27-31
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, [28] Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. [29] And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. [30] Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. [31] And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

This is a continuation of our love study. How should we treat others? The Bible says to love them. Love is a strong word. I can like my enemies, maybe, but to love them – well I don’t know about that.

Let’s look at this a little closer. The Lord Jesus is speaking in these verses. Verse 27 says “I say unto you which hear” It’s our choice we can listen or not listen. He is talking to those which hear, the ones who want to understand.

Love your enemies. I admit this is hard. Once again I am not saying this is easy, but it is right. The right thing to do is never easy. Think about someone you do not like; someone who probably did something to hurt your feelings. The Bible says we need to love them. How can we show love?

We need to act in a loving manner when we are with them. It might be someone who did or said something to offend you. It may be a family member who you see often but don’t speak to. The Bible says to love them. Do good to them that hate you. Do something good, say a kind word, do a kind deed, bring them a plate of cookies, the possibilities are endless.

Holding grudges only makes it worse. I had two family members who did not speak for 18 years. Imagine, eighteen long years. This did not just affect them, but affected the rest of the family. Love is the only thing that can break the cycle from continuing. You need to take the first step.

What else should we do to our enemies? How about bless them and pray for them? Again, this is not an easy assignment. Put their name on your prayer list, ask God to soften your heart toward them. When we pray for them, the Lord starts a work in our heart.

When people treat you badly for the cause of Christ, consider it an honor and turn your cheek. Remember the Lord knows what is happening. Keep your focus on Him. Be helpful and kind in all situations.

The last verse of today’s scripture ends with the golden rule. If we make this our motto we will always treat people the correct way.

Have a great day.
Donna

The Love Chapter

1Corinthians 13:1-7
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. [2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. [4] Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, [5] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; [6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; [7] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I Corinthians 13 is read at many weddings, however this chapter is not just for the married couple, although it is a great start. This chapter, often referred to as the love chapter, is how we should express our love toward all.

The word charity occurs in the New Testament 28 times. The word charity translates to love. The Greek meaning of love in these verses is agape.

What is love? These verses are telling us what love is and what love is not.

We can speak beautifully and say all the right words, but without love what does it matter. It would be like LOUD unpleasant music. Just think of it being so loud that it reverberates and you would need to cover your ears, to get some relief.

We can understand everything and have so much knowledge but what good would it be if we had no love.

Think about giving food to the poor, the Bible says without love it is nothing. Why do we feed the poor, do we love these people? We should, we need to do it because they were created by God and He loves them, should we do any less.

Love is the reason for life. Love created life. Love is what motivated Christ to die for us.

Love sometimes takes a beating but is still kind. When you truly love someone you are willing to do anything for that person. Not only are you willing to do anything but you do it without mumbling and complaining.

Love is not envious. When you love someone you are happy when things are going good for that person. You are not being envious and saying, “why doesn’t that happen to me”.

Love is thinking of others. Love is NOT SELF CENTERED but OTHERS CENTERED.

What can you do today for someone? Make a phone call, send a card, give a kind word, smile, show love to someone today. Make this your mission for the day.

Is there someone you need to apologize to for a wrong or holding hard feelings toward? Call and let love show you the way. It may not be easy but it is the right thing to do.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Romans 12:18
Lord, help me to keep my motives right before you. Help me to see the BIG picture of Love. Thank you for showing me the wonderful kindness of your love.

Have a great day.
Donna

Love God

Joshua 23:11
Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

The last few devotions were about God’s love towards us, now let’s look at our love to God. People will often fail us, but God never fails us. He is with us in our darkest moments and brightest days.

God spoke to me years ago with this verse. At the time I had a number of “well meaning” people compare me to another person. A few times they would ask, “why aren’t you like so and so” or “why don’t you do this like them”. My answer at the time and still is, “because I’m not them.” God uses all of us in different ways. Praise Him that He didn’t make us all the same. What a boring world it would be.

During that time I read this verse. It seemed to jump out of the page at me. Take good heed .. unto yourselves, to love God. My responsibility was to love God. I couldn’t worry about what others thought I should be doing. I needed to be concerned about what God wanted me to do.

What I have learned from this verse:
* Keep my eyes on God
* Don’t worry about what others are doing
* Make sure my priorities are right

(something I still battle with)* Love God – always – no matter what happens

We can learn a lot from verses, be open to God and His teaching as you read your Bible today. God speaks to each of us as individuals. You never know what is in store for you.

Have a great day.
Donna

God's never ending love

Romans 5:6-8
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I have been thinking about these verses for a few days. They describe the love God has for us, sending Christ to die for the ungodly. Think about it, when we were without strength, weak, feeble, could hardly go on, wallowing in our sins, Christ died for us, me and you!

Someone might die for a righteous person or even die for a good person but for a sinner or ungodly person who would give their life? What exactly is a sinner. Let’s look at the Bible, to find the answer:

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James 4:17
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:10
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23

The Bible is very clear about who is a sinner, do not despair, God always gives us hope. He sent the perfect solution in His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Christ lived the perfect sinless life so He could be our sacrifice. He took our punishment by dying for us. We will not suffer the eternal fire of hell if we accept His sacrifice. God’s never ending love for us comes through loud and clear in this selfless act of giving.

If you have never accepted God’s gift please scroll down and take a walk on the Romans Road.

Have a great day.
Donna

Christ's love

Rom 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. [37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. [38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What a thought! Who or what can separate us from the love of Christ?

Let’s take a moment to look at the meaning of some of the words in the verses:

tribulation – trouble
distress – anguish
peril - danger
sword – punishment

At one time or another, we all have some kind of trouble in our lives. Unfortunately some have more than others, but the love of Christ is there.

In verse 37 the word conquerors means “to gain a decisive victory”. Vincent word study explains it this way, “A victory which is more than a victory.” We can be conquerors because we know that Christ is in every battle with us. In Hebrews 13:5, is a promise “… I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

A few more word meanings:

persuaded – convince
angel – messenger
principalities – place
present – now
to come - future

Are you convinced that God is with you in all trials and problems? Remember no matter what the situation, God is there and He loves you, unconditionally.

Have a great day.
Donna

God's love

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

God loves us so much. The Bible says with an everlasting love, a love that will last for eternity. God's love is not fleeting, it is not for a minute or an hour or a day, but forever. We cannot comprehend the love of God in our feeble minds. God’s love is not like our love. God is longsuffering, patient, and compassionate, I can go on and on using plenty of adjectives to describe God and it will not fully do Him justice.

Reflect for a moment, we are not speaking of just anyone, this is the Great God of the Bible. The God that created the universe. The God who cares and loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son for us.

God draws us with kindness and compassion. He is a merciful and wonderful God. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. … (James 4:8)

Lord, help me to appreciate your love and all you do for me!

Have a great day.
Donna

For God so loved

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

February is the “love” month. I searched my notes and found things I wrote about love. I will be sharing these verses during the month.

What is love? Numerous quotes can be found expounding the virtues of love. I’ll list a few, some will certainly show my age but so be it.
Love is a many splendid thing.
Love is never having to say you’re sorry.
Love is blind.
Love is fickle.
Love is a warm puppy.

I’m sure if you spend a few minutes, you can think of many more, names of songs, titles of books, the list can go on and on. During the next few weeks I want to share with you what the Bible says about love.

Today we will look at John 3:16. You can watch TV or go to a sports game and people will be holding up a poster with the verse, but most people do not know what the verse says. I found my notes with a breakdown of the verse.

God – the greatest lover
God loves us so much. I John 4:8 …God is love.

so loved – the greatest degree
No one loves us more than God

the world – the greatest number
Think about it for a minute, God loves the entire world, not just your city or state but the whole world. God is not prejudice, God does not see color, size or infirmity.

that he gave – the greatest act
When you give something to someone, they are happy to receive and you were probably just as happy to be able to give. Imagine a gift from God.

his only begotten son- the greatest gift
Jesus is God’s only son. He came into the world a special way. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was no ordinary son.
Would you be willing to give your child to die for the world?

that whosoever- the greatest invitation
God opens the invitation to all mankind.

believeth – the greatest simplicity
All you need to do is believe. Believe in faith.

in him – the greatest person

should not perish – the greatest deliverance

but – the greatest difference

have – the greatest certainly

everlasting life – the greatest possession
To live forever in heaven with God. God never forces himself on us. It is our choice to accept or reject his love. Will you accept God’s love today?

Have a great day.
Donna