One and the Same

On July 11, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 4: 17

By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

This is an amazing passage of scripture! It is saying that we are as Jesus. This whole passage of scripture speaks of love. We discover that love abides in us because God abides in us and God is love. That love is then perfected in us and through that love we are just the same as Jesus.

Jesus didn’t walk and talk and act on this earth in his own capacity. He was a witness of the love of God. He lived in that love and with that love and He was in complete unity with the love of God. He walked in love on this earth because He walked in God, and God was with Him through and by that love. It was this love, God’s enduring compassion, that gave Jesus the power to heal the sick and raise the dead. Love called Him and compelled Him.

That same love abides with us and in us. That same love can work miracles through us just the same as it did through Jesus if we will allow it to mature in us. It is that very same love because it is the same God that works in each one of us. Therefore, we can walk just exactly as Jesus did because the same love is at work in us as was in Him. We have the same witness and that is that God first loved us. And now His love is at work in us. We didn’t do anything to earn this love, it is because God chose us.

Now here is your part. Each person must allow God’s to mature within them. Each person must allow love to have its perfect expression through them. It’s not that we really have to do much, but we do need to allow love to have its perfect work in us. We must let go. We must give the Lord permission to work in us and through us. We have to release our selfish aims and ego-based desires. Those are rooted in fear. Release the fear of not having what you want or what you think you need and allow God to raise you to your high, appointed place by His grace and His love.

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Love Is . . .

On June 27, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 4: 8

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Love and God are interchangeable. They are one and the same. You cannot know God if you do not know love. If there is not love inside of you, then God is not inside of you either. If you are not walking in love, then you are not walking with God. It is just that simple. The very essence of God is love. It is not a personality trait, not something He has a lot of. It is what and who He is. Verse 16 reads, “the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

Here is a revelation for you straight from God. Love is the principle thing. It is what God has been telling us and teaching us about for five thousand years. Jesus left us this one commandment, to love one another even as he loved us (John 13: 34). He only needed to leave us one commandment because the one covers all. You will not hurt others if love guides you. And you will be good to others if you allow love to guide you. Everything that the apostles, Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit have tried to teach us is contained in one word. It is so simple that it has eluded us. Love!

Hey, Christianity is not difficult to understand. It is not complex. It is really quite simple. If you want to be the greatest Christian ever, then be the biggest lover ever. Learn to get outside yourself and be kind, generous and considerate. Get yourself off of your mind and ask what you can do for someone else. You are God’s hands in this earth. Allow Him to bless someone through you today. Get completely wrapped up in love and stop being judgmental and critical. Stop finding fault in others and just give yourself over to loving them and blessing them. You will be walking so deeply with God that your every breath will be a greater infilling of Him. That is a pretty good place to be.

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The Love of Salvation

On January 31, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 John 4: 8

God is love.

Let’s talk about salvation a little bit today. We have all kinds of thoughts and theories about salvation and from many different perspectives. I would like to focus on love today. Dare I? What’s love got to do with it? I think you already know the answer. Absolutely everything.

From where does salvation come? We know that salvation is the product of Jesus’ sacrifice. We also believe that we have a responsibility to share the good news of Jesus’ offering to others so that they may know that the price of salvation has been paid for them? So, here is the question, what happens if a person dies having never encountered a person who told them about the love of God?

John 3: 16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus went on in verse 17 to say that he did not come to the earth to judge and condemn, but rather to save. So, God, who is love, offered his own son as a sin sacrifice for us because that is what love does. Another way of thinking about Jesus’ sojourn on earth is that the entire trip here was so that people would be saved.  If God sent Jesus to earth to save us, doesn’t it stand to reason that He would provide assurity that we all get multiple chances at salvation.  Would God go to such extreme measures and then leave salvation to chance?  Love saves. Love does not condemn. Love doesn’t judge, banish or kill. Those are the things of the thief, not of the Father. God gave everything so that each person on earth might be saved. Let me say this again, “Love Saves!”

So, now let me ask the question again. What happens to a person who leaves this earth having never made a confession for Christ? The answer is, Love saves. God is not dependent on me to have preached this glorious gospel in order for Him to save someone. God did not leave salvation to people. He and Jesus provided it. If you think about it, you realize it is very arrogant of us to think that we are the source of salvation. We tend to think that a person’s salvation is decided here on this earth and because some person preached him the gospel. Don’t get me wrong. I am all for everyone of us telling the good news of our salvation. I just don’t think God has left this important matter to such tenuous circumstances.

I believe in love. I believe in a Father who gave His son specifically to save us. It stands to reason, then, that He has plenty of methods in place to assure that people get the chance to meet Jesus. Who says that has to happen on this earth? Does God not have the means to control the stars and planets? Can He not meet a person in the Spirit or in ascension? Who knows, but we know that God is big. He is not limited to this earth or our corporeal ideas.

I am not saying I believe in limbo, because I know that my salvation is not the product of my right or wrong behaviors. It is because of Jesus and him only. I know my Father well enough to know that if He gave His son to die a cruel death for humanity, He isn’t going to sit on His thumbs and let us go to hell. I am convinced He has His ways to preach the gospel to people after they leave the earth. And why not? Why do we think the whole universe is tied up in our miniscule realm of experience? God is big, the universe is big, and He has ways.

Do you have a loved one who passed away without a public expression of faith? Do not worry. Jesus didn’t die on a cross just to let them pass to eternal torment without introducing himself personally. And when someone meets Jesus face to face, they will make a proper decision for him. Everyone who meets Jesus wants to be with him.

Love saves. It sent Jesus to the cross for salvation. Will Yahweh Father not do everything He can to make sure we all get to enjoy that salvation with Him? What does Love have to do with salvation? Everything, absolutely everything.

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Rooted

On January 19, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ephesians 3: 17

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.

This verse is the very thrust of this ministry. Our slogan is “Intertwined with Jesus.” I pray for you to be so interwoven in the fabric of Jesus and of God’s love that you can no longer discern a separation between you. Your thoughts are His thoughts, His are yours. I pray for His heartbeat to throb in all of our chests.

Truly, today’s Word of the Day is a thematic continuation of yesterday’s. Seek God so that He may be found and when you continue to seek Him, daily, you become more and more intertwined with Him. Finding Yahweh is not a one-time thing. It is daily pressing in and demanding more and more of Him. Never be satisfied. Always ask for more of Him. That is what He wants of you. He wants you to live in Him and to allow Him to live in you.

All the little things of the day are part and parcel of the life lived in Christ. I know some people think it is funny that I pray when I grocery shop, pump gas or ride my bike, but that is where life happens. So, if God is to be intimately intertwined in all of life, then He will be at the board meetings and the dinner table. He helps with the laundry and the cleansing of our souls.

I pray that the tendrils of your heart will become inextricably intertwined with Jesus and will, indeed, root themselves in the rich soil of God’s love.

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This Love

On January 13, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 6: 16

There are six things that the Lord hates, even seven that are disgusting to him.

Hate is not something Christians talk about or dwell in. However, even God hates a few things and I fear I have experienced a similar emotion.

A couple of weeks ago I was riding a bicycle class at the gym. These classes are set to music. The last song of the ride was What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner. It is a well known song but definitely has a dark side.  Most of the song consists of this lyric:

Oh-oh, what’s love got to do, got to do with it?
What’s love but a second-hand emotion?
What’s love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?

Now, this is not a criticism of Tina Turner or even the songwriters but what kind of society do we live in that over 30 years after its release we are still singing such a horrid lyric? The person leading the bike class said, “Oh, I love this song.” Wow, that’s kind of oxymoronic, isn’t it? How can we believe in love at any level and accept such a denunciation of it?

You can empathize with someone who has been hurt and thus can relate to the song, but hopefully that person heals and comes to understand the soullessness of the song, even to despise the lack of faith and belief in love or even the possibility of love.

The song is about having sex with another person and the imperative not to let love enter into the exchange. How many things are wrong in that? I can say, I really do hate this song. It has a good beat and lures you into singing it but that day I wanted to get off my bike and leave the room. I simply cannot stand this song any longer. What does love have to do with it? Absolutely everything and that is what I answer, aloud, when I hear the song. And I did that day as well. You don’t want to be around me because I am going to push back. I am not going to let songs and lyrics like this poison my spirit, a spirit which, by the way, is sanctioned in love. The spirit which is within me was born in love, created by love.

We all get hurt and probably more of us than would like to admit can relate to Tina Turner’s song, but I hope she has found reason to sing a new song, a better song as I know we have. Love sent Jesus to earth for us. The more you intertwine your life with Jesus, the more the world becomes a strange place to live. It becomes harder to turn a deaf ear to language and ideas that are in direct contradiction with everything our Father is.

Let me get theological for just one moment. If that song is diametrically opposed to what our God is and what our Lord teaches, what is its source? Obviously, God had nothing to do with the writing of this song. Was it just damaged people expressing worldly ideas? Or is there more to it? I don’t know the answer, but it does make one wonder because this song undermines so much of what we believe in. Generations of children have grown up with this lyric. What has it done to their impressionable spirits? It has sown seeds of promiscuity and for denying the importance and power of love.

Love is the greatest force in the universe. He, Love, created this earth and all the stars in the heavens. He sent His beloved to this broken, decaying world to save all the silly little humans who live here so that we would not spend eternity in the lake of fire. There is so much more though. He, Love, is alive and well right now here on planet earth. He is here to live with us, to heal our broken hearts and to help us live better lives. He mends our spirits and restores us simply because that is what love does. Whatsmore, love is doing just that every day of the year. He will move into any heart that will have Him and heal the broken parts. He will give us as much healing and love as we will allow.

What’s love got to do with it? Absolutely everything . . . and everything meaningful is born of love.

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Leadership

On October 27, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 20: 28

Good leadership is built on love and truth, for kindness and integrity are what keep leaders in their position of trust.

Leadership is a challenge whether you hold a position of authority in the workplace or in an organization or team. No matter where you are tasked with leadership there are some common concerns. We often ask, “What makes a good leader” and “Are leaders born or made?” If you are challenged by leadership issues don’t feel alone. Every leader has struggled at one time or another. Think about this, even Yahweh had problems trying to lead the Israelites out of bondage into a land flowing with milk and honey. One might think that should be a fairly easy task. Who doesn’t want to leave slavery for abundance? If God had problems, then I guess it is okay if we struggle a bit too.

Solomon wrote this. He was the leader of a nation and worse, had to follow in David’s footsteps. Those were some mighty big shoes to fill. I am sure Solomon felt the pain of comparison with his father. None the less, he did survive and became a great leader. We will look a little more closely at his journey tomorrow. For today, we glean from his experience what makes a good leader.

Notice that power is not what Solomon based leadership on. Power can figure in, no doubt, but even if a person has power that does not necessarily make him/her a good leader. One can be a leader because of position or power but a good leader is the one whom people want to follow. Solomon wrote about good leadership, and he ascribed it to first love and then truth. How often do you think people are taught these two guiding principles for leadership? The next two keys to good leadership are kindness and integrity.

These may all seem familiar, but we can ask, what is integrity? Here is a definition I found, “Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions.” Clearly it is aligned with truth, but it also means doing what you say you are going to do. People of integrity don’t say they are going to do something and then change their minds at the last moment when it is no longer convenient. They are people of their word.

Good leadership is kindness. Be nice to people in word and deed. This goes right back to some of what we looked at earlier about putting other people’s needs before your own. Leaders are supposed to look after the needs of their flock rather than asking the flock to meet their needs. Leadership is sacrificial. Above all leadership is love.

Jesus gave us the perfect model of leadership. Sometimes I am amazed at how the early disciples left what they were doing and followed him. I think he conveyed love and acceptance in his voice and demeanor. He hired some of the worst reprobates, but they followed him because of his love. He told them the truth, even when it hurt, but they still honored him.

Leadership is hard. Jesus lost one too. You are going to have people who are deceived and give in to wrong thinking too. The best any of us can do is to love our people, even if they don’t deserve it, to show them kindness, deal with them in truth and always, always be people of unflinching integrity. Yes, leaders make mistakes too. When we do, integrity demands that we own up to it but then you move forward. Be honest, truthful and care for those given into your care. Pray without ceasing for yourself as a leader and for your flock. And, may God strengthen you and carry you by His might.

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Just One Thing

On October 13, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 13: 34 – 35

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

What does it mean to be a Christian? What are Christian values? What makes a good Christian? These can be challenging questions, but Jesus simplified them for us.

There really is only one Christian virtue. The rest of our value system flows from it. God is love. Christianity is love. Jesus took God’s nature, His very essence and built his kingdom upon it. The one Christian virtue is love.

Jesus commands one thing of us so the question we should seek to answer in everything we do, everything we say is, “What does love require?” It’s all about love. In your job, in your family, what does love require? This is the same as asking, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus was always motivated by love. He has commanded us to love one another even as he has loved us. What does that mean? It means this virtue which Jesus has called us to is unselfish, even sacrificial.

The theology of Christianity is love. Any other theology is empty. It becomes quite easy to understand and explain Christianity when you realize that love is the pinnacle. It is the pillar upon which Jesus built his ministry and his kingdom. The whole of the law, the prophets; the whole of Judeo-Christian philosophy and theory is tied up in this one commandment. Love one another as Jesus first loved us. Christianity, from God’s perspective, requires us to put the needs of others before our own. It requires us to consider what is best for others, instead of ourselves. It forces us to look through another’s eyes and to walk a mile in their shoes. It demands we not be needy and demanding but rather to be compassionate and considerate. The entirety of Christian philosophy and theology, hundreds of years of debate and thought can be boiled down to this one simple question, “What does love require?”

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