14 Days of Love – Day 14 – God is Love

 “God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever should believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
 

Happy Valentines Day.  Today is the day that millions of people will go to any means to express to their spouse, children, parents, and friends that they love them.  Some will give flowers, some will give candy and still, others will give jewelry.  It represents a need deep inside every one of us to feel loved and to hear from others that we are loved.  But what about the giver?  How do they benefit from the giving?  I, for one, love giving gifts.  I love seeing the joy and happiness that is derived from receiving gifts that I have put thought and effort into.  It’s not just physical gifts though.  In many cases, it’s serving and helping others, without their knowledge or request.  Taking a warm bowl of soup to a homeless person, or buying the lunch for a soldier before they head off to serve our country.  It warms the heart to do something for others, without any visible gain from it, but often times an enormous spiritual and emotional gain. 
 
A simple example happened to me just today.  I came out of the store with several things in my shopping basket.  I arrived at my car, and proceeded to load them into the backseat.  As I stood to push my cart back down the parking lot to the cart return area, a gentlemen looked up from his car and walked toward me.  “Are you all set there, you want me to take that for you?”  He then proceeded to push my cart 100 feet down the aisle to the cart return area and then walked back to his car.

Certainly, one of the most recognized verses in the entire bible is John 3:16.  Its popularity has been broadcast worldwide on sporting events, from concerts, journalistic events and a plethora of other entertainment events.  Where it could be predicted that millions, if not billions, would be watching there was always someone who was willing to stand up for God and in doing so spread His good news.  This one scripture sums up God’s plan of salvation for mankind.  To once again draw them close to His side, He took it upon Himself to bridge the gap. 

God so loved the world.  I tell my wife, “I Love You Most” and it comes from deep within.  The deepest feelings I have for anyone in this world are shared with one person only.  This love exemplifies the emotional as well as physical love that brings two souls together.  One step removed is the love I have for my children, grandchildren, parents, and family, often greeted with “I Love You More”.  I would cross the ocean, desert or tundra to help any single one of them, because we share a bond of blood that cannot be reversed or unseeded, there will always be an emotional tie between family.  Finally, there is the love I have for my friends.  A love that is bound by values and life’s experiences.  A loving relationship that develops stronger over time.  Do I love the world?  Could I?  Certainly not.  Trying to put logic around God’s statement of loving the world, one must first realize that God is omnipotent and omnipresent and solely capable of loving every person in the world at the same time with the same depth.  Without first accepting this fact, one can never fully embrace God’s ability to love the world and everyone in it.

God gave His one and only Son.  I have 5 children and 5 Grandchildren, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.  I would give up my own life before putting any of them in harm's way, so I can’t fathom the type of love that is referred to here.  How can a loving God ever consider sending His Son to become the sacrifice for all mankind?  It wasn’t that God sent His Son to die, for this result was predetermined and God knew the glorious events that would unfold 3 days afterward.  It was the pain, temptation, suffering, rejection, humiliation, and degradation that Jesus Christ would have to endure leading up to Calvary.  Jesus even asked for another way but ensured his Father that if not, he would follow through.  God gave His Son to establish a path of salvation for mankind and to demonstrate the love of the Father for everyone forever more.

The path to eternity was clearly articulated in John 3:16.  “..whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life.”  It seems straight forward.  Many claim that they don’t understand the Christian faith and all of the rules and guidelines.  They don’t comprehend the differences between Catholicism, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, Calvinistic or Reformed Baptists.  Partially because of these differences the world has been led to believe that there are many paths to heaven.  The truth comes from the scriptures.  Salvation is derived from believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Messiah, and will return one day to bring His children home.

When we reflect on the last 14 days of devotionals on God’s Love for mankind, it all boils down to one thing, which is captured in 1 John 4:8; “…God is Love.”  That sums it up.  You can’t escape this definition of God, for everything we understand of love – emotions, serving others, words of affection, time with one another, and even the physical touch; it all stems from what God has given us through His Son - Jesus Christ.


Prayer:
Loving Father,
You have given us love.  You have shown us the truth in how to love one another and the future in how to receive salvation.  You have given us Your Son to teach us and to demonstrate Your unending love which is available to all mankind.  We rejoice in knowing that You love us and want us to be with You in heaven.  Thank You, Father, for providing a path of redemption, sanctification and eternity in Your presence.  I tell my wife, “I Love You” and it comes from deep within.  The deepest feelings I have for anyone in this world are shared with only one person.  One step removed is the love I have for my children and grandchildren. In Your name we pray – Amen


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37 Days – Relational Strife Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24

January 26^th Prayer:

Father, You reconciled me to you through Jesus when there was no other way. I know You have the power to reconcile my relationship with _________________________________________. I ask You to help me. Help them. Soften our hearts . . . and our words . . . and our attitudes. I will forgive them. And I will forgive myself. Help me to release the hurt, anger and resentment of my heart as I walk freely into Your presence to worship . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Bitterness comes forth from ones lips, and once done, it is twice as bitter on the lips upon taking them back.  We have all allowed temporary emotions to drive the words and actions which often times destroy years of a loving, wonderful relationship.  Pride is often times at the root of these issues, and controlling that pride is in most cases very difficult and counter intuitive.  Looking at the examples we have in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, he tells us to “turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile to help your brother . . . “  Then again, you recall his words from the cross, “Father, Forgive them; they know not what they do.” He taught us to forgive, regardless of what they have done to us.

We are all given one life to live for the Lord.  Your life is no more valuable than the addict who is strung out in the middle of the alley at night.  In the eyes of God, we are all His children and His desire is for all to be reconciled to Him and with Him in eternity.  Who are we to then determine that someone is unworthy of this plan?  If you are holding a grudge against someone, it is important to take a bigger look at the situation, from the perspective of your Father’s view.  He may see the wrong, but He also sees the good that comes from each of us.  He alone is set to judge good from evil, we are ill-equipped to do so.  Our role is to love our neighbor as our Father loves them, which means swallowing one’s pride and forgiving them.

It’s hard to carry the image of Christ to the world, but this is a sure way to let them see that God is love.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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Knowing God’s Love

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
                                                                                                – 1 John 4:11-12

As the moon falls onto the waves crashing upon the beach, the earth rotates through the night.  The gravitational pull of the spinning sphere draws the tide from the depths of the see to the sands of the shore.  It’s consistent and has been for thousands of years, from the moment Adam walked and the serpent slithered along the sandy floor of the garden.  The battle ensued at that time, and has ebbed and flowed ever since.  Today, we look with wonder as the tidal waves crash onto the shores and marvel at the complexity of it all.

Many believe we are in the worst time of history, yet we have no clue of what this world has been through.  Trials have come and gone, and the human race has continued to thrive through it all.  What began as a garden, a perfect paradise if you will; has now evolved into a cesspool of evil, temptation and pain.  Why?   Why was Adam and Eve incapable of obeying the Father’s simple instructions and choosing to surrender to the evil one, the ruler on this earth? 

It’s not a blame game, but we are certainly a by-product of our ancestral chain.  Through ages we have fought each other over pride, greed, selfishness and power.  I propose that the original love God implanted in mankind is absent from humanity today.  We say we love one another, but do we really understand what that even means?  Is it simply affection for one another?  Is it an emotion that makes one’s heart beat a little faster, makes one’s palms sweat and breath quicken?  Do we really understand what the Lord gave us in the garden? 

It makes me wonder, what if Eve had run away; what if Adam had actually stood for righteousness and took his rightful place to lead her away.  Would we even be here?  Would this world then be the perfect paradise that God had so meticulously formed from his very breath?  I know it’s deep and unfathomable to comprehend what might have really become of mankind and this earth.  But, one thing is for sure, had they resisted the evil one on that day, love would have conquered and would have become the nature by which we all live.

We were created in love by the Abba Father, to dwell in love and perfect harmony with Him forever.  Mankind allowed evil to seep into our existence and it has been ever since.  When we say we are born in sin, it ties all the way back to the garden.  For the love that was provided to and for us, became a long distant obfuscated memory over generations.  How long did it take before God’s original plan of a loving human race became unrecognizable?  The single closest resemblance of His love that still exist today, is the love between parent and birth child. 

As DNA and genes are passed through the bloodline, we have an identity with our children and likewise with our parents.  Even multi-generational gaps weaken the love tie, but it’s still there none the less.  Compare this with the love tie you might have with a spouse.  This is a learned or chosen love that you decide to share, not because it was inherent at birth.  The love you share with your family and friends is a pale representation of what the love God had intended.  The temporary lustful love you have for others is nothing more than a selfish intent to satisfy one’s desires, nothing more.

So, how then are we to love one another the way God loves us?  First, in our simple mindedness we must try to understand the depth of God’s love.  Refer back to Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands”  This is clue #1 – His love is for a thousand generations and He will keep his covenant, made with Abraham, to love you and bless you.  God has promised His love to mankind for all time, only dependent upon obeying his commands, which we all agree is nearly impossible.  But, in the depth of His love for us, He alone provided a way. 

We all know John 3:16 by heart, “For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  This is clue #2 – mankind had become so evil and incapable of loving God and keeping His commands, that in order to find redemption from the sins, it would take a sacrifice which could not be found in this world.  Therefore, because of His immense love for us, He sent Jesus Christ to die for us, so that we could once again be able to kneel in His presence and love Him in return.   Also, reiterated in Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

We don’t know this kind of love in our world, for you see, Satan is the prince of this world; and Satan lives by hate, envy, pride, greed, love of self and pleasure.  In this world we cannot begin to understand the love of the Father, and just how intense that love truly is.  Think about the person in this world you love the most.  Now ask yourself, if that person hates me, turns from me, rejects me and degrades me; will my love for them be unchanging, immutable?  Jesus demonstrated this in His life, but no other man in all of time has ever been able replicate it. 

That is why we need Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  He alone can love the Father as the Father loves us.  Through Him and only through Him can we return love to the Father that He is worthy of.  The more we learn about Jesus and the more we allow Him to work in our lives, the more we become like Him and can love others as He first loved us.


Be Blessed,

Rich

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Life's Not Fair

Make 2014 a year of Sharing

“He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord” – Psalm 33:5

There are people in this world that I despise.  Yep, that’s what I said.  As ugly of a word as that is, it describes a part of me that I have tried for years to eliminate from my life.  It’s not any one individual, but rather groups of people that have done something so vile that I find it unfair that God would love them as much as He loves me.  Their acts are unrighteous, criminal and disgusting in many cases, and I dig deep to find a way to rationalize how their mind can justify their actions.  In my eyes it is evident that evil is deeply ingrained in their very soul.  I am angered every time I think about their actions, and the victims that they have left in their wake as they move through life without abandon, concern or care for others.  Without going into specific details on this group of individuals, can you resonate with my un-Christlikeness, or am I alone in my bitterness and judging attitude?  If I were to try to describe the single biggest part of God that I have trouble rationalizing is this. 

From the first sinful act, complete disobedience and denial of righteousness and justice, Adam and Eve chose to turn from God and follow the enticing invitation of evil into their bloodline.  Now, thousands of years and hundreds of generations later, we are still bound by the same sinful nature. Prior to that moment their lives were fully righteous and the lovingkindness of the Lord permeated through every action, thought and moment of life on this planet.  This righteousness, this love has never ceased to exist here, but is completely overshadowed by the filth, the vile wretchedness and disgusting perversions we have chosen as life.  In this life we chose sin on a daily basis without even trying. 

In your day you are given 24 hours of life.  It is linear, you can’t re-live the moment that just passed, for once it is gone, it becomes your memory.  You might have used that moment to increase God’s presence in the world, to worship Him, to love Him and to further His Kingdom.  What an incredible example you are of His righteousness and love, when you want to be.  But, alas therein lies the problem.  For you see, for every moment you are choosing to live for Him, there is likely an equal of greater amount of moments that have passed in this day that you are choosing to live for yourself and your self-centered interests.  In these moments your flesh is ruling and your sinful nature becomes evident.

How can one ever live a righteous life without sin then?  One cannot.  It is literally impossible, despite the wonderful things that you are doing for the Lord, you are still living a life of sin.  For even if you are holier and mightier than any other since Jesus Christ himself walked the earth, you are incapable of living in righteousness and justice.  This brings us back to my original commentary above.  How can God love “those people” as much as He loves me and you?  The reality of His lovingkindness is that it is immutable and ever present despite our transgressions and ugliness.

Every now and then I find my thoughts drifting to places they shouldn’t go.  Yes, I am sinful in my thoughts.  This simple act, which takes less than 20 seconds of brain signals within my neurological system is vile when compared to the righteousness required of our Lord.  Sin is sin.  Jesus Christ came for the redemption of mankind’s sin.  Not some sins, but all sin.  My sinful thoughts, or the vile act that we hear about on the nightly news, are both covered by the same drop of blood from our Savior.  The greatest example of God’s love for His children is the provision of redemption and salvation.  My sins can be forgiven, despite how disgusting, repulsive or simple they are; because God loves me and calls me His child.

I find this unbelievably hard to comprehend.  We take His love for granted every day of our life.  We act as if He owes us the right of salvation, and we somehow rationalize our sin under His forgiveness and the gentleness of His love.  The reality is we deserve Hell, and it is only by His grace that we are given life eternal. He owes us nothing, based on our inability to live a sin-free life.  We are choosing to pursue our own interests in life rather than being 100% committed to Him and His call.  In that choice we are basically spitting at His feet and saying, ”I realize how wonderful You are, but I want to do________.” (you fill in the blank for today) You are His child, and by His incredible loving grace, He has given you redemption and salvation.  So when you die, and you will, you are given eternity in heaven rather than the pit of Hell.  What else do you need?  Seriously, are your wants and desires in this life (money, a new car, a job, even health) really something you need in order to better serve Him, or are they something you want to make your life more comfortable.

We all need to stop to realize that nearly everything we desire in this life is temporary.  We all need to realize that we are not here for our happiness and comfort, but to serve Him until such time as He calls us home.  Everything around you is temporary and there for no other purpose than to make you feel better about yourself.  Don’t get me wrong, it is not evil to have a home, a car or a job.  But, it is unrighteous when you become dependent upon these things instead of God.  His righteousness and justice are all around us and if we take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on how to serve Him each day.  We become His lovingkindness to the world around us.  Even if it’s only for a few moments of that 24 hour period, it’s a start.
    

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It Takes Time

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”   - 1 John 4:16

The darkness surrounded them as they walked hand in hand from the conference.  There was no need for words or romantic actions, it was just two people deeply in love after spending years with each other.  Time together has a way of forming a bond that is evidenced without extravagant displays of emotion or silliness.  Then, you see the older man stop and turn to his aged, but beautiful wife and taking her in his arms begins to dance under the soft light of the street lamp.  No music, no band, nothing but the sound of the crickets and soft wind through the trees.  As they turned and swayed to the imaginary sound of a big band, one could sense the oneness that had grown over the years together.  The moment was climaxed by him dipping her and then gently kissing the lips of the woman he had loved more than life itself.  Then standing back up, they walked the remaining twenty feet or so to their car where he opened the door for her and helped her into her seat.  As they drove away, an observer could not help but feel wonder for the love that had just been displayed.

Time strengthens the bond of love between individuals.  We all know this to be true.  The comfort, the confidence, the familiarity and the wisdom increases as years come and go in any relationship.  So it is with loving God.  We read the words, and flip through the pages of His Word and every now and then stop and ponder the love of God.  But are we fully embracing the depth of His love, the completeness and the fullness of how much He has done for us.  When we think of the cross and fully embrace the events that took place on Calvary that day, over 2000 years ago, we cannot help but become overwhelmed with the love that God has for us.  All He longs for, is for us to love Him in return. 

Spend a few moments today in quiet reflection simply pouring out your heart to God in thanksgiving for all that He has given you.  Count the blessings you have in your life and realize that every one of them come from Him and that He gives to you willingly and wants you to be filled with life and happiness.  The relationship you have with God the Father must become stronger, deeper and more rich as you spend more time with Him.  As you seek Him more, He becomes more visible in areas of your life where you need Him most.  Abide in Him, so that He may also abide more so in you.

            

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It’s Okay to Remember

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Most wake this morning with some recollection of the tragic event of September 11^, 2001.  Eleven years ago today, most of us stopped and were glued to the unfolding events happening right before our eyes.  What were the emotions that came forth on that day: fear, anger, surprise, sadness, confusion and dare I say love.  Love for the families of those lost in the tragic events in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.  Love for the fireman, policeman and rescue workers who bravely took a stand and battled against all odds to save as many as they could.  We cried, we questioned, we held those who meant the world to us, and called those family members that lived far away, just to hear their voice and express our love for them after realizing the precious commodity of time.

On that day and for the weeks following 911, there was a common thread of love that spread around the globe.  People from Australia, UK, Africa, China, Japan, Venezuela, Israel, Germany and so many other countries reached out to help those affected and hurting in America.  This compassion rose up in individuals and leaders to support their fellow man with little or no knowledge of who they are.  This blind love boiled up inside of them and they reacted with empathy and sympathy.  People across the USA were also filled with love for one another.  Strangers came together to pray together, hold hands, bond and support each other through the confusion.  In spite of the tragic events that took place that day, the underlying love of one person to his/her brother or sister came forth and overcame the fear, sadness and fueled the passion to live stronger.

Since that day eleven years ago, I’m sad to say that we have allowed ourselves to slide back into the complacency that was vibrant on 9/10/2001.  Where is that love, that compassion for your fellow man, that bond of help and support without care for recompense.  Where is that urgency to get right with God, and the fear of the coming judgment day.  Today we are more concerned over how many Facebook friends we have than we are over the fate of our neighbor suffering through a divorce or the death of a loved one.  It took a tragedy to stimulate each of us to unconditionally love one another, and in just over a decade we have returned to our self absorbed life styles.

I ask each of you today to reflect on that day, and those that gave it all to help others.  Then I ask you to reach inside and find that glimmer of hope and love for your fellow man and do something about it.  Reach out to your neighbor rather than walk by.  Take an extra moment or two and share your love and compassion with another today through simple actions and re-kindle that oneness that brought us all together.  Finally, pray for our leaders and those that fight for our freedoms in this world.  God has placed each of us on this earth at the same time to fight for righteousness and live with compassion and the heart of a servant.  We are here to help and strengthen each other through hard times and rejoice together in good times.  We are not designed to do this on our own, so use this anniversary as a stepping stone to redefine your contribution to this world.  Then, get out there and do it.

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The Debate is Over

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It with your friends

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. "              - 1 Corinthians 13:1

The global stage is large and many have taken the steps across the pages of our mind with opinions, statements and proclamations.  Some have been based on fact and truth and others have been completely contrived in the minds of those seeking attention and glory.  In the internet age, we have a world full of noisy gongs and clanging cymbals; as individuals use every form of communication available to get their perspective in front of the masses.  Where does one draw the line though?  When did truth and facts become replaced by ideology and innuendo?  At what point did we cross over to accepting and tolerating everything being said as if it were truth? 
 
 

STOA ATTALOS, Athens, Greece (2004)

In ancient Greece the stoics would sit along the STOA ATTALOS (Greek: ETOA ATTAΛOY) in the shadows of the Parthenon in Athens and have philosophical debates.  In this environment, in that setting, we would find Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers questioning the meaning of life, the existence of mankind and the gods of the universe.  Their debates weren’t covered on CNN or FoxNews and blogged around the world as if they were fact or truth.  They were very intelligent men debating the essence of humanity while accepting that there were infinite answers to their questions.  Their ability to challenge the thinking of mankind, based on their personal opinion was a catalyst for thinking outside the box, and without limitations. 

In Acts 17:16-34, we find Paul the Apostle in Athens, debating the philosophers and Stoics of that time on their gods vs. the God, “Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.” (v.18)  Paul went on to challenge the gods and idols of their worship – “…I even found an alter with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.  Therefore, the one you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.”  (v.23)  He then proceeded to explain of Jesus Christ, God who loved us so much that He came as a man, suffered, died and rose again from the grave, and will one day return to judge mankind. 

As stoics and philosophers it was difficult for them to accept on faith that Jesus was God and that this God loved them.  Everything they had debated for centuries had pointed toward gods of the sun, the fire, the wind, nature, love, fertility and so on and so on.  For them to accept that there was only one God and He offered salvation for them to join Him in eternity was so outside the box, that it was unacceptable to most of that day.  We struggle with the same philosophy today.  Is God real and does He truly love me enough to forgive my transgressions and allow me to spend eternity with Him in heaven?  The answer is absolutely yes.  Jesus came for that purpose and that purpose only, to create a way for you to be redeemed and enjoy the fruits of salvation with God the Father.  Other’s will debate it the rest of their lives, and one day realize the error of their ways.  Quit listening to the resounding gongs and cymbals and accept the truth that is given through the Holy Bible, God’s word.

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