Love will result in Obedience

I wanted to post one final thing on love before moving on to joy. (I know, I'm SEVERAL days behind) but anyway, we've been talking about love, and in my last post I said that love is one of the key marks of a believer. But this begs the question, what does true love look like? Fortunately for us, Jesus leaves no room for debate in the area. He clearly tells us in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Whoever obeys Jesus is the one who loves Him. I want to show you a poem that I read that makes the meaning of this about as clear as it can be. It's written by Joy Allison, and though it may seem a tad old-fashioned, it is a good reminder for us.

“I love you, Mother,” said little John;
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,
And he was off to the garden swing,
Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Nell;
“I love you better than tongue can tell!”
Then she teased and pouted half the day,
Till Mother rejoiced when she went to play.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Fran;
“Today I’ll help you all I can.”
To the cradle then she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

Then stepping softly, she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room;
Busy and happy all day was she,
Helpful and cheerful as she could be.

“I love you, Mother,” again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that Mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

How did the Mother know who had the greatest love for her? It was easily seen in the children's behavior.

Does our love for the Father and the Son show easily? I pray that mine does.

This challenged me to think of more ways that I could show my love for the God of the universe. I want to do something that challenges me and really shows my love. If you think of anything, I would greatly appreciate your comments!

I think that's a good way to end the section on "love." Hopefully we'll post again soon!

Love, the perfect gift, permanent virtue, and primary command

I'm really sorry it's been more than a week since I've posted!! Haley's way ahead of me when it comes to posting on here! We should be in the middle of the next subject but I'm just now FINALLY writing on 'love.' Here's my two cents. If that. God bless you!!

Someone that I once heard speaking said “love made the perfect gift, remains the permanent virtue, and became the primary command.” What does that mean?
~Love verb: to cherish
~Love noun: compassion, devotion
~Romans 5:8- But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1. Love made the perfect gift because Christ died even though we were still sinners. God put all of our sins on Christ, and that was the perfect gift.
“And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.”
After that, the song sings “Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art.”
Love is a selfless act for someone because you are putting their needs ahead of your own interests.
Finally Love made the perfect gift, because Christ gave us everything. He made the ultimate sacrifice.


2. Love remains the permanent virtue.
~ 1 Corinthians 13:13- But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The greatest of ANY virtue is love. It is the key mark of a true believer.


3. Love became the primary command.
~ John 13:34-35- “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciple, if you have love for one another.”
~ Micah 6:8- He hat shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Love is just, merciful, and humble. If we have love, we are obeying all the commandments found in Micah 6.
~ 1 Peter 4:6 “Above all, love each other deeply. Because love covers a great multitude of sins.”

So now we know what love is. Why do we need it? What is it for?
~ Matthew 25:35-40- “ ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
If we have the kind of love that God intended, it will show in our lives.

Perfect Love

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not 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 have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails... 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

See the last verse? "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." We have looked at faith and hope,but now we look at the most important: love.

If you read the passage above, think about it. When is our love ever like that? When is it ever completely kind and perfectly patient? When does our love always protect, always trust, always hopes, and always perseveres? Our love is not a perfect love. So why does Paul write this passage?
Paul writes it mostly to show us what God's love is like. God's love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not proud or rude. It keeps no record of love and is not easily angered. It rejoices with the truth.

For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son...

The Almighty, perfect God loves you with a love described in 1 Corinthians 13. Isn't that amazing?

For more on his love, read Hosea.

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

The Bible says to put our hope in God/Jesus. That seems to tie in with this hymn which we sang during VBS last week: Jesus, I am resting resting. Because we have put our hope in Jesus, we can really rest in the joy of knowing who He is- we can rest in hope given to us by Him.
Another note on this song is what the VbS leader said about it: paraphrased, she said, "Say my husband isn't doing something I think he should be doing. I start to get upset. 'God, he isn't doing what you want him to.' No! If I'm resting in Jesus, I know that he has control over my husband. I rest in his peace."
I was really frustrated and upset recently and I remembered those words. I sang this hymn over and over and Over and OVER in my head, making myself calm down: Jesus is in control. I rest in who He is.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Refrain

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

Hope: Putting yourself in God's hands

During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God's provision and keeping. Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour.
Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord's presence. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many. "Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head. Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day."
It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence known most clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that He is our only source of strength. And when we see this truth, like Pastor Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial? Take heart. Put yourself in God's hands. Wait for His timing. He will give you a "song in the night."
Our Daily Bread, May 7, 1992
And remember the words of the psalmist, Psalm 43:5 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

Faith: the What, the Why, the Possible, and the Comparison

What is it? Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Why must we have it? Hebrews 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Even when things seem impossible.... Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. ²⁰Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²²This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness. Romans 4:19-22

What is faith compared to? Hebrews 12:1-3: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Even if you can't see

Donner Atwood once told the story, “During the terrible days of the Blitz, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!" The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known.” Faith is believing in that which you cannot see; trusting in that which you are unable to touch or glimpse. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the core of things that we desire and long for, and the testimony of everything that is not visible for us right now. It continues in verse 6, “ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Everyone who comes to the Lord must believe that He exists; and not only that He exists, but also that He rewards everyone who earnestly seeks Him. Without this, without faith, we cannot be made right in God’s sight, for without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Think of how this passage continues. It goes on to talk about many “heroes of faith.” But four particular people mentioned here stand out. They are:
Noah
Abraham
Moses
Rahab.
Now these four people stand out to me because of the following reasons: It says here that Noah was “moved with holy fear.” He feared the LORD first, and fear of the LORD is holy. It says here that Abraham went where God called him to go, even though He did not know where He was going. This is perhaps the truest example of faith. He went where God led, even though He didn’t know where he was going. And this is what we should do, too. Then there was Moses. He chose to rather suffer afflictions as one of God’s people instead of living as the world. Finally, there was Rahab. She received God’s people in peace and had faith that their God would protect her. This is the faith by which she was saved. What I find interesting about all of these people is that none of them were portrayed as being perfect. Noah did not lead a holy life at some times, Abraham lied on several occasions about Sarah being his wife and committed other detestable sins, Moses murdered an Egyptian, and Rahab had a somewhat… checkered past. But it doesn’t matter how “great” they appeared to be. What matters is that they had FAITH in an incredible God who did work through their weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Just as the little boy who had to jump into his father’s arms, even though he couldn’t see his father, we sometimes are required to take leaps of faith into our heavenly Father’s arms. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “For without faith it is impossible to please Him…” Without faith in Him, we cannot please God. If we do not put our trust in Him alone, we cannot please God the Father. If we trust in God, put our faith in Him, and jump whenever He tells us, He will always catch us and never let us fall.