Love for one another by loving God

Jesus told us this in John 13:35; "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NLT)  I wonder if "all [humanity] know we are Jesus disciples?  Do we love one another?  Within the local and/or national denominational group; I have spent time in both the Southern Baptist family and I am currently part of the American Baptist family.  If one attends a Region or National (Bi-annual) gathering, at least a few years back, does it show our love of one another?

Jesus also said in Matthew 22:37,  "You must love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." (NLT)  I  wonder if this is not the way to do John 13:35?  If we truly love God, would we not develop a love one another?  Maybe not immediately but soon after we, by God's grace, developed a love for God.   Which I wonder if would not develop into a love for the not-yet-christians in our lives.   

God gives insight on how to RUN OFF THE DEVIL!!

Gal 5:16 So I say, let the Spirit tell you what you should do. Then you will not do the wrong things you yourselves want to do. Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

James 4:7 So let God control you. Fight the devil and he will run away from you. Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

These are a couple (part of ) versewe looked at in Men's group.  If I am reding them right; if we let the Spirit of God tellus what to do and do what the Spirit tells us then we will not do the wrong we would like to do and in doing so we would resist the Devil thus making the devil run away!

So start listening and doing andsee the devil run!!!!

The election; What does the Bible say?

Romans 13:1

13 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. (NLT)

Romans 13:1 & 2

Every Christian ought to obey the civil authorities, for all legitimate authority is derived from God’s authority, and the existing authority is appointed under God. To oppose authority then is to oppose God, and such opposition is bound to be punished.

What do this passage say to us after the election? What if the authority ask us (tell us we must) do something that is anti-christian? What if like Hitler; the governing authority/civil authority begins to kill Jews (other group) and asks/tells us that it is our civil duty to support them in that killing? What if there is some  "Chicago" system voting?  Do we still "obey the civil authorities"?  Is obedience to the civil authorities what God calls us to when the civil authorities are, in our opinion out side of God's will?  If out side the will of God are those civil authorities "legitimate authority"?

 

The other question would be is Paul making a statement for all time "the existing authority is appointed under God" or just for his own? 

In any case we need to we need to follow the idea of Timothy in
1 Timothy 2:1-4  I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. ² Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. ³ This is good and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

More wondering of this Old Man

Deuteronomy 6:1-8

6 The Lord your God has directed me to teach you his commands, rules and laws. Obey them in the land you will take over when you go across the Jordan River.  ² Then you, your children and their children after them will have respect for the Lord your God as long as you live. Keep all of his rules and commands I’m giving you. If you do, you will enjoy long life.

³ Israel, listen to me. Make sure you obey me. Then things will go well with you. Your numbers will increase greatly in a land that has plenty of milk and honey. That’s what the Lord, the God of your parents, promised you.

⁴ Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is the one and only God. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength.

⁶ The commandments I give you today must be in your hearts. ⁷ Make sure your children learn them. Talk about them when you are at home. Talk about them when you walk along the road. Speak about them when you go to bed. And speak about them when you get up. ⁸ Write them down and tie them on your hands as a reminder. Also tie them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Also write them on your gates.   (NIRV)

This is at least the second time God repeats the idea in the first three verses.  The time I saw this evening was in chapter 4 but I digress for my wondering.   My wondering thought is; Is this where we have messed up today and why the world is going to . . . down the tube."  Are we teaching anything let alone the commands of God to our children?    Well this is the wonderings of this old man!

Just a Thought (and/or reminder)

I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.  ~ Psalm 120:1 NLT

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.   Isaiah 58:9 NLT



 Thank you KLOVE and Air1 for these verses of the day.

 

Wondering some more

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. ~ Psalm 103:8, NLT

When I saw this verse in my E-mail this morning, my first thought was is this our image of God as his children and is it the image the world, the not-yet-christians, has of God?  In both case I think the answer is no.   For the not-yet-christians I think it is a fear, as well as a message given, at least in times past, of God being "out to get you!"  The image of "God sending people to Hell".  This may be the same thing that causes God's kids to not think of God in this way.  Just wondering way before I even had a chance to wander today!

Another thought came as I wrote; why are we as God's kids not acting like our Daddy.  Being compassionate, merciful, slow to anger (been in a church board meeting or business meeting lately?) and filled with UNFAILING love?   Again simply wondering!

Another Moment of Wondering

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.  2 Peter 1:3 NLT

Peter tells us that God had given us what we need to live a Godly life; therefore we have no reason or excuse for not living Godly!  Maybe the reason we have problems is that we do not "come to know Jesus"!  Just a thought!!!!!! (Thanks AJ3)

Just wondering

^1-3 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.
⁴"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
^5-8"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.   John 15:1-8 (The Message)

As I read this I wonder if there is a reason for the majority of churches in the United States not growing.  Especially, the first eight verses.  Just a thought.

Marriage and Sex

Here is another video that is a must watch  thanks K Love on there facebook page.

GOD Cares for you!

Isaiah 43:1-7 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

¹The Lord created Jacob and formed Israel. Now, this is what the Lord says:

Do not be afraid, because I have reclaimed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
²When you go through the sea, I am with you.
When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away.
When you walk through fire, you will not be burned,
and the flames will not harm you.
³I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Egypt is the ransom I exchanged for you.
Sudan and Seba are the price I paid for you.
⁴Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you.
I will exchange others for you.
Nations will be the price I pay for your life.
⁵Do not be afraid, because I am with you.
I will bring your descendants from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not keep them.”
Bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the ends of the earth.
⁷Bring everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.

As I read this passage preparing for a Men's Bible Study I was impressed by the idea of how we are precious, honored and loved by God.  This in turn got me to thinking that those who yet to know God through Jesus are also precious, loved, and honored by God.  This lead me to think about who we God's children do not honor, love and find precious those who yet to know our Papa, our Abba, Baba, our Daddy, our Father.  We are God's children and God's Ambassadors; shouldn't we love, honor and find precious those he finds precious; who He loves and who He honors?

Just wondering!! No wandering involved!

Struggle

I find myself struggling to see the forest for the trees!  I am wondering (without much wandering) why people say they want to body to grow but do not do much to bring that growth about.  To me that is like saying I want a child and then not spending time with you spouse or doing the paper work (and funding) to adopt! 

I see the church being willing to reach out to Samaria and the ends of the earth; at least funding the out reach to these places. Judea again if I can pay some one to do it OK!  Now Jerusalem, where we should be doing the out reach on a daily basis and helping our fellow missionaries reach folks well does God really want me to do that?  Yes, Virginia God does and God may desire that you go instead of another who is aware of the need but for whatever reason is not equipped to meet that need or maybe you (or another) are the ones God desires to meet the need!  I think the idea of a team approach to most out reach is a wise idea!  I also think that at times a person who is outside the team may see a need that the outreach team can meet.  Also  a team member may see the need and not be the one to meet the need for many reasons; none of which has to do with giftedness of said team member.  I see the need for a team as many fold; the first is then it is the church doing the outreach not one individual.  I am not sure how to put this into words; but here I go in an attempt to try; there is  person or family with the need.  This person/family has no relationship to the church except the one member of the church who is aware of the need.  If the person/family with the need receives ministry from the person (church member)who is aware of their need ; what is the person/family with the need going to think?  I know what I would think ---  thank you "john" for meeting my need; I am happy YOU CARED ENOUGH to help in my time of need!  Now, had some other(s) of the church gone to the person/family (especially if a number does so/had done so) would that not reflect more on the church caring than just the one person who is aware of the need --- even if both said that it was a church base ministry? 

The need I speak of was a death in a family that is not part of the church except that a child in the family comes to the children's ministry programing.  I think that we lost an opportunity because some felt that the person who was already connected to the family through bring the child who is a nieghbor to the person's grandchild should have just taken care of the need.  While I am sure that the person could have done so; we the body of Christ had an opportunity to show the love of Jesus to a family in stress and grief and that just might have brought a person/family into the kingdom; forget they may have come into the church and enriched it as well!!  [rant off]

Do you want to know God's Will?

1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 (NLT) ¹⁶Always be joyful.  ¹⁷Never stop praying.  ¹⁸Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 
Here is God's will for those who belong to Jesus the Christ.  We are to be always Joyful; always Prayerful and always Thankful.

Always joyful; this is a hard one for me.  I do not like mornings!  I work the opening in Fast Food business (we open at 6a.m.!).  Some people say "Good Morning" at they come to the Drive Through window; about half the time my responce is "Well it is morning!"  I sometimes say "Morning" as I reach out to take their payment.  Some folks look t me weird, some of it is me I am a bit weird but I think some hear the word "good" without me saying it and wonder, like I do, "just how good is it!"  I usually respond to the look with say something like "I did not place a value judgement on it!"  God has shown me and is still working on me that I need to be joyful always!!

Always Prayerful, sometimes we think of prayer as when we "talk" to God.  You know "Here's Bread, Here's Meat!  Good Lord let's eat!  Amen!"  Prayer really is a conversation we have with God.  If one is having a conversation both people in said conversation take turns speaking.  Therefore being Always Prayerful, involves our speaking to God but it also involves our listening to God speak to us.  That may be as we drive the car to work; as we sit listening to others speak in a meeting or gathering; it may be sitting in the  deer woods,  like a friend of mine taught me;(miss those times with that friend!!) or taking a walking to shed unwant pounds.  The thing is we must listen as well as talk.  I once heard some one say we needed to listen twice as much as we spoke because we have ONE MOUTH and TWO EARS.  While as a person drawn to public speaking (or in this case public writting) I am not sure I buy that idea; I do know that we, the followers of Jesus, need to do more listening at times than we actually do!!  Again, remember that a preacher speaks as much to the preacher (sometimes more) than the preacher does to the congregation!

Always Thankful, I have written on this on Novemeber 23, so I will says that I like how  the Message says it "1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TMSG) ¹⁸thank God no matter what happens." Again easier said than done!!

Do you want God's Will?  BE Always joyful, Always Prayerful and  Always Thankful!