A Life with Love is Honest

There can be no love apart from honesty. Love must be honest. No one wants someone else to cheat on them but if you want to marry someone who will be faithful to you then you must be an honest person. If you are a deceptive person then you will be deceived. It is only a matter of time before a deceptive person will be cheated in business dealings or cheated on in relationships or in some other way be deceived. Honesty must be displayed in money matters, relationships, school, jobs, taxes etc. If someone will cheat then they will lie. If someone will steal then they will lie.

For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
“He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
“For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” I Peter 3:10-12

You will not have the blessing of God on your life if you are a deceptive person. Deception begins in the heart, is lived out through the life and spoken through the tongue. Deception is lying through your words and your life. Deception is communicating one thing and living another. Deception is living a double life. Deception is putting on a front. Deception is having a hidden agenda. Deception is evil and God’s face will be against you if that is who you are and what you do.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

You must be on your guard against deception. There are many philosophies and political agendas that are deceptive such that if you are not an honest person then you will be pulled in and deceived. The meaning of deception is that you are deceived and not aware that you were deceived until it is too late. A girl generally will not marry a dishonest and immoral man unless she herself is deceptive and immoral. It is very important that she is honest with her parents in all matters for they are her protection. If she tries to hide anything from them because she likes a young man, then she is on the way to a broken heart and a painful life. Fathers especially can see flaws in a young man that a young woman can not see. She must listen to her father and do as he says.

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. II Thessalonians 2:10

One of the greatest protections against being deceived is to receive the love of the truth. The love of the truth also begins in the heart and is expressed through the life and communicated through words. If you love the truth then you will spot the counterfeits and more easily identify the lies and deceptions.

There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Hosea 4:2

Character is a packaged deal. If someone curses then they will usually do other things as well that are not good. Deception leads to other wrongs and is always a part of adultery. What does a woman get who marries an unfaithful man? She gets an unfaithful husband. What does a girl get who marries a man who is immoral and wants to have sex before marriage? She gets an immoral husband with the chances are slim that he will be faithful to her. Those who end up doing violence did other wrongs which oftentimes lead to violence. No wrongdoing stands alone.

Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds. Jeremiah 14:14

Deceptive people can sound very convincing for they are deceived in their own minds.

How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart, Jeremiah 23:26

Deceptive people are deceived in their own hearts.

The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Isaiah 28:15b

Deception brings destruction to those who are deceived. Deception comes from not having a heart right with God. God is true and He is the truth. His truth will keep us from being deceived if we know it and love Him.

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3: 13

Eve was deceived because she listened to and believed the lies of the devil. The devil told her what she wanted to hear and she loved what she heard. In her deception, she gave to her husband and he ate and did what was wrong. Thus, because of Eve’s deception Adam and Eve began a life of great hardship and struggle.

But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. I Timothy 2:12-14

The Lord sets boundaries in our lives to protect us. A fence around a schoolyard is to protect the children and to keep the children safe by keeping predators out. In the same way, the Lord put a husband over a wife to keep her from being destroyed and her family destroyed through deception. It is a foolish wife who would fight against God’s order. God does all things well and when He sets a safeguard then a person would be wise to listen and give heed to what He says. Life is good when we follow the instructions of our Creator. We were made to inherit a blessing.

for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
I Peter 3:9b-10

A Life of Understanding but Misunderstood

Often one who understands life will be misunderstood by others in this life. Other people will not understand why they do what they do because those who misunderstand have a lack in the knowledge of God. God is the basis of all knowledge and understanding and without Him true wisdom, knowledge and understanding will even seem like foolishness.

I Corinthians 1:18-21 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

The beginning of true wisdom and understanding is to realize that we have no wisdom and understanding on our own.

Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

There is more hope for a fool than for one who is wise in his own eyes. There is no wisdom and no understanding apart from the Lord.

Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the Lord.

The way of a fool is that he is wise in his own eyes. Turn to the Lord and you will receive counsel, wisdom and understanding.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Once you turn to the Lord then He will give you wisdom and understanding. Your life will be different because He will set you apart for something far bigger and greater than you can imagine. You will understand others but you, yourself, will not be understood.

I Corinthians 2:14-16 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

The natural man, which is another name for a nonChristian, will not understand. That is alright that they do not understand now. You be faithful to the Lord and pray that one day they will come to know the Lord and understand. When you act on the mind of Christ, which is His Word, then you will be light and light brings understanding. You will be salt and salt preserves knowledge. The works that you do in His name will bear witness of who He is and will point others to Him. This is what it means to know Him and to make Him known.

 

 

 

A Life with Love Seeks Forgiveness

God made man in His likeness and man chose to go his own way. When man went his own way then he became corrupt in his heart and soul. Rather than know love he began to know hate.

And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:8b

Killing comes from hate. When we hate someone then we want to do away with them. We no longer want them around. Love is from God but hate is from the devil.

not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. I John 3:12

After Cain killed Abel then he went out from the presence of the Lord. He married and had children. His children had children and one of his descendants was named Lamech. Lamech loved himself and took two wives, which was never God’s design. Lamech also killed a man for wounding him and a boy for striking him. He wanted even greater vengeance if anyone were to hurt him.

Lamech said to his wives,“Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;
If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Genesis 4:23,24

Lamech wanted even greater vengeance than what God had given to Cain as a protection. He wanted vengeance seventy times seven.

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21,22

We are so unlike the Lord. We think that if we have forgiven someone seven times then we are doing well. The Lord says to forgive seventy times seven! How many times does He forgive us? Not only does He forgive us but He separates our wrongs that we have done as far as the east is from the west.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Not only are we to forgive but the only time in the Bible where the Lord uses the word “never” in a command form is when He says to never take revenge, which means to pay back wrong for the wrong done to us. This is very difficult to do, especially in the hustle and bustle of life. Someone is a little rude to us in a check out line or in someplace like an airport, how easy it is to have an “edge” and be a little rude or cold to them. Life does not always go our way and the person who can overlook and forgive is truly the light and salt of the world. That person will be respected as a person of high character and that person will also find honor, favor and love.

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21

The Lord tells us never to take vengeance but He says that vengeance belongs to Him. There has been much killing and violence done in the world because of man taking vengeance. Often a person will take revenge, not for himself, but, for someone else. He will take up an offense and take it upon himself to hurt another. However, no one ever knows the true story of an “issue” between two people. We do not know. For one of us to take up an offense and become a “judge and jury” is very wrong and the Lord says that it is evil. The Lord gives grace to the one who is hurt by another. God’s grace brings comfort and healing and allows the offended one to bear up under the affliction.

but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, Romans 5:20b

The bystander does not receive the same grace as the one suffering. The friend or relative receives grace to bring comfort, encouragement and consolation. In doing so, he will pour water on a fire that can easily burn many and destroy much good. The one who takes revenge is pouring gas on a fire already burning and brings much destruction. That person who takes revenge is doing the work of the devil.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

The Lord is a God of peace. The Lord wants all of mankind to be at peace with Him and to be at peace with each other. He came to bring us peace. He gives grace and He offers us the gift of forgiveness. God is also a God of righteousness. His ways are right and just. When we walk in His ways then we will find and keep love in our relationships. How powerful it is when a married couple learns to forgive each other and to give much grace to one another. The outcome of doing what is right in relationships and life is peace, quietness and confidence.

And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32;17

The person who longs to do what is right will be satisfied and happy. The one who does right in life will have God’s favor and blessing.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

When a person loves and forgives others and they do what is right in God’s eyes then they will have peace with God, they will have peace within themselves and they will have peace with others.

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

It is hard to continue to do evil to someone who loves you. It is hard to even speak evil of one who experiences good because of you. The Lord says that the way that we can overcome evil is if we will do good.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

However, only God is good and the only way that we can do good continually and genuinely is if we have God living within us. He will come into one who comes to Him in faith and asks Him to be their Lord and Savior.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; Isaiah 61:1

He is truly good and one of the first things that He does is set you free from the bitterness and hate within that has come into your heart through the pain caused by another. He forgives you and He gives you the power to forgive another. He truly sets the captive free, for we are held captive by the thoughts and desires of our own heart with its pains and struggles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:8

Has your heart been broken? There is hardly a soul in the world who has not had their heart broken at some time or other. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. He binds up their wounds and He brings healing. If you have “tried” love and it has not worked then come to the Lord and try His ways. His ways are good and they are perfect and they bring comfort and healing to the heart and soul. Let Him have His way in your life. You will not be disappointed.

To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. Psalm 22:5

Again, He says, that the one who will trust in Him will not be disappointed and His words are true.

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Romans 10:11

A Life Blessed with Understanding

If you have understanding, which comes from knowing the Lord, then you will be blessed and you will be a blessing to those who you are around.

Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding produces favor,
But the way of the treacherous is hard.

When you have understanding you will receive favor with others. A lack of understanding will make life hard for you. If you are married then a lack of understanding will make life harder for your spouse and your children.

Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none,
But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.

Knowledge is power, according to God’s Word, and the more knowledge you have in life the more power you have and it will decrease any feelings of helplessness or hopelessness. Knowledge is easy to one who has understanding. This is one very important reason why children should be taught the knowledge of the Lord so that they might receive understanding so that their schooling in life will be a joy and not a constant hardship.

Proverbs 14:29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Do you ever struggle with anger issues? It is a symptom of a lack of understanding.

Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding,
But in the hearts of fools it is made known.

This verse about wisdom resting in the heart of one who has understanding is interesting. The person with wisdom and understanding will be at peace within their heart. The one who does not have wisdom and understanding will “feel” within their heart the pain and sorrow of their lack of wisdom. Their heart will be broken but it will be because of their poor choices. their poor choices are because they did not know what to do and acted according to their “own” understanding.

Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of understanding.

Finally, the fool who lacks understanding will bring about his own death. Before he dies physically, his soul will have already died. Often, if he is married, his marriage will die. How many people  get married but the love dies and it is only two people existing together? It is because of a lack of understanding. The fool brings destruction to himself and eventually death, because he chose to not seek God and receive understanding. He chose to go his own way.

Proverbs 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding will find good.

Understanding is interesting because you can lose it. If you turn from the Lord then you will wander from the way of understanding and soon even doubt whether there is a God and doubt if He loves you. These doubts come from neglecting your relationship with the Lord and/or backsliding from the what you were taught earlier in life.

Proverbs 21:16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding
Will rest in the assembly of the dead.

Return to the Lord and you will receive understanding live once again. Ask the Lord to pour out His Holy Spirit on your life if you have strayed from Him or to give you His Holy Spirit if you have not yet surrendered to Jesus Christ.

Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

He is the Spirit of understanding.

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

When you have Jesus Christ then you have wisdom and understanding. You will also have counsel, strength, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. When you have Jesus Christ in your life then you will truly understand and know God for He alone is God and His Holy Spirit will live within your heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Life with a Love that is Pure

Love is an intangible that can not be touched and yet it can be felt. Love is the deepest longing of our heart. We long to be loved and we longed to be loved with a pure love that refreshes the heart and fills us up. When we are loved with a pure love then we are energized. We can endure much, overcome obstacles, climb mountains and we can conquer problems with much greater ease. Love is the oil that keeps life going smoothly. Without love, life can become a grind.

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. I John 3:3

God is the only One who is pure and His love is the only love that is pure. His love is not a “I will love you if you do this or that” or “If you loved me then you would do this or that”. His love is a “I love you in spite of this or that” and “I loved you even when you did not love me”. God loved us when we were His enemies. God loved us when we were guilty and had no love for Him. God loved us and made it possible for us to know His love. God so loved all of us that He gave what was most precious to Him in order that we might receive what is most precious to Him. He gave His only Son.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Our love for others is selfish because all of us are basically selfish. We love because of “what is in it for me”. Even though we love this way, we want others to love us with an unselfish love. Our love is a “because of what you have to offer me” and God’s love is a “because of what I have offered you”.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

God’s love is pure because it is freely given as a gift. We can not work for it and there is not anything that we can do to get Him to love us more. His love is unconditional and never changes. His love is not selfish and His love only wants what is good for us. God’s love does not seek anything from us. The Lord offers His love to everyone regardless of any qualifications and there is not anything that negates His offer of love. He loves us whether we have done good or evil.

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:44-48

God’s love is perfect and it is pure. The Lord does good even to His enemies. For this reason He calls those who believe in Him to love their enemies. The Lord goes before believers in everything and He does not ask His children to do anything that He Himself is not doing. The Lord wants His children to love with a pure and perfect love, for that is how He loves us.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. I John 3:2,3

True believers, real Christians, fix their hope on Jesus Christ and the transforming work that He is doing to make them like Himself and to love with His kind of love. Our hope in Him purifies believers.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

It is through our struggles that the Lord develops perseverance and perseverance brings about proven character and it is when we see the Lord change believers that we know that He will continue until His children share in His likeness. Those who hope in Jesus Christ will not be disappointed.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

What does pure love look like? It describes Jesus Christ, for He is pure love. Jesus Christ is patient and He is kind. Pure love does not seek its own but pure seeks the best interest of the one loved. Jesus Christ is not provoked and does not take into account a wrong suffered. He does not reward us according to the bad that we have done. Jesus Christ rejoices with the truth and also rejoices when we do what is right. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. He never stops loving for He is love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. I John 4:7-9

Love is from God and God is love. Those who know God will love others because when we know Him then we know His love. When someone comes into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ then that person experiences God’s love and God’s love fills their heart. A Christian learns to love others by being filled with God and living through Him. The Lord purifies the believer’s heart and gives the believer a sincere and pure love for others. What does this love look like? It looks like Christ, because it is God’s love for others through the believer.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, I Peter 1:22

The man that learns to love his wife with the love of Christ will forever be blessed. The Lord made wives to be responders and that wife will respond to the love of Christ in her husband and love him back with the same kind of love. The mother who learns to love her children with the love of Christ will forever be blessed. Children learn what they see and experience. Those children of parents who love with the love of Christ will love others with the love of Christ. What does this kind of love look like in young people who have not yet married. When a young man loves a young woman then he will treat her in such a way that if she ends up marrying his best friend then there will be no awkwardness when he is around them. The same can be said for a young woman treating a young man with the love of Christ. Each will build up one another so as to prepare them for their future mates. If they are the ones for each other then each one will be blessed. Love is pure and does not seeks its own. It wants the best for the other and gives more than it receives. The young man or woman who has this as their rule for relationships will never lack companionship and will be blessed.

remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35b

A Life that Has Understanding

When you have understanding then you will enjoy life so much more and will be much less frustrated than others without understanding. Understanding will give you insight in decisions and make you more successful because of your right choices in life.

I Chronicles 22:12,13 Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.

The more understanding that you have the more wise counsel that you will have to guide your life and to help others.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

When you have understanding then it will watch over you.

Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,

When you have God’s understanding then you will learn more and more to trust Him and to not trust your own understanding. Your own understanding is limited to what you see or feel about a situation. God’s understanding is impartial and is based on His knowledge of life.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.

Understanding calls to us to live according to her ways. The word “folly” means stupidity. When we lack God’s understanding about life we have a tendency to do stupid things. Stupid decisions and stupid activities rob us of life.

Proverbs 9:6 “Forsake your folly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”

When one has understanding then they will recognize those that do not and will not fall into the snares of people who will get them into trouble and bring grief to their lives. Many a man’s life was made very sorrowful because of the woman he married. Understanding will keep a man from the woman of folly. A person lacking in understanding is naive.

Proverbs 9:13-18 The woman of folly is boisterous,
She is naive and knows nothing.
She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high places of the city,
Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:
“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,
“Stolen water is sweet;
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

A godly mother will teach her sons to avoid the woman of folly. A wise son will listen to his mother. A man can not see through women and in the same way a female can not see through males. A young lady needs her father’s counsel and a young man needs his mother’s counsel when it comes to choosing a life partner. If you do not have a mother or father in your life then go to an older godly person who has understanding so that they can give you wise counsel. Other than choosing who will be your Master in life the next most important decision that you will make will be who your mate will be. Choose wisely and you will be blessed. Choose foolishly and that choice will become a curse to you.

 

A Life with Love Has an Absolute

There is only one absolute in life and in the world. The word absolute means: perfect, pure and outright or unmitigated. It is because of this one absolute that we have security, knowledge, love, hope, wisdom, understanding and every other good gift in life. This absolute is also the anchor to our soul. When we lose sight of this absolute then we struggle with anxiety, panic, doubt, control issues and every other thing that brings chaos to our lives and world.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast Hebrews 6:19a

God is the only absolute in life and in all the world. Life will change and the world will change but God will never change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is God, the very Son of God, and it is through Him that we know God. No person has ever seen God, but Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God, the Father, and the one who knows Jesus Christ will know God.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:1-3

Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of love because He, being God, Himself, came down to earth in the form of a man, lived a pure and perfect life, died for mankind, was buried and rose again from the dead and ascended back into heaven.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:3-8

Love is an absolute because love is an attribute of God. God is love and He expressed His love fully through Jesus Christ. Since God never changes then He is, has been and always will be love. When we have God then we will forever have love and it is a love that will never change. He won’t love us one day and then not love us the next day. His love is not fickle nor is it dependent on me. God loves because He is love. We can only know personally and experientially the love of God through Jesus Christ. Otherwise, apart from Jesus Christ, we are limited in only knowing about the love of God. We will see God’s love in nature and in the universe but not know God’s love intimately until we know Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. John 14:6-11

We come into the world believing in God. God made us to be in relationship with Him. God is good, He is kind and He is loving. We have to turn our back on God to not believe in Him. The most that man can say is, “I don’t know if there is a God.” When we turn our back on God then we no longer see Him and believe in Him. Doubts come about God. When doubts come about God then doubts come about everything else in life. God is the only absolute and He and His love is perfect, pure and never changing. The Lord made us to live in response to Him. We know Him through His Word, which is who He is. When we respond to Him through His Word then our love for others will be perfect, pure and never changing. This is the only way that we can love others the way that God loves us.

but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. I John 2:5

The one who loves is the one who knows God through Jesus Christ. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:8

The only way we can truly know love and love others is when we experience God’s love for us. Just knowing about God’s love is not enough. We must know intimately God’s love and we can know His love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. I John 4:9

When we come to know God’s love through Jesus Christ then God comes and lives within us. When He lives within us then He loves through us.

No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. I John 4:12

When a person has come to know the love of God then that one wants to love others. It is the Lord who loves through them and it is when the world sees God’s love in His people that they will see Jesus Christ in them.

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. I John 4:16

We love because God first loved us. If you want to find and keep love in your life and relationships then you must first find God.

We love, because He first loved us. I John 4:19

It is through love that the world will know who belongs to God.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

The one who believes in Jesus Christ and receives Him as their Lord and Savior will be the one who belongs to God and is His child and His disciple. The one who becomes His disciple through believing and coming to Him will know intimately His love. This is the one who will have found love and will keep love, not only in their life but in their relationships. This offer is to everyone in the world for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12,13

Receiving Him simply means turning back to God rather than turning our back to God, which we all have done at one time or other. Believing in Him means turning your face to God through Jesus Christ and asking Him to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior. He will make you the person that He created you to be and that is a person who will reflect the love of God to others. It is when we are loved and when we love that we are the happiest and most fulfilled. How sweet it is to find and know God’s love, a love that is pure, perfect and will never change. God’s love is absolute and the one who truly finds the love of God will not be able to keep it to themselves.

A Life that Understands

We all long to understand life and many of the aspects of life, that is, if we want to know how to do life right. A sign of maturity is wanting to do life right and to be responsible for what we are called to do and be. How do we receive understanding?

Deuteronomy 4:5a,6 See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me… So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

The Lord wants His people to be wise and understanding but the wisdom and understanding comes from keeping and doing His commandments. Do not seek to understand first and then obey but rather learn His commandments and do them and then you will receive understanding. As you learn to obey Him you will have many “Ah ha!” moments and say to yourself, “Now, I understand”.

Exodus 35:31a And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge

God’s Spirit is the One who gives understanding. The more you walk with the Lord by His Spirit and are filled with His Spirit the more understanding you will have about all of life.

Deuteronomy 32:28 For they are a nation lacking in counsel,
And there is no understanding in them.

When you are lacking in God’s counsel then you will be lacking in understanding. His Word is His counsel to us and when we know His Word then we will know His counsel and have understanding.

Job 12:13 With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.

To God alone belongs counsel and understanding. Know the Lord and you will understand more and more. He is the author of all and the creator of all. He knows and understands how everything functions and how it is supposed to work.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

It is the knowledge of the Lord that is understanding. When you understand then you will also be able to counsel others for counsel and understanding go together.

Proverbs 8:14 Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.

We are all leaders in some way or another and understanding is one of our biggest needs so that we can counsel wisely according to what the Lord would have us to say. Those who lead must have understanding so that they might lead and understand those under them.

I Kings 3:9 So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

When a leader leads with understanding then those under them will be blessed. A parent needs understanding. A friend needs understanding to counsel their friend. A spiritual leader needs understanding to point others to the Lord.

II Samuel 23:3b,4 ‘He who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’

A leader who has understanding will lead others in righteousness and in the fear of the Lord. They will be as the light of the morning when the sun rises.

 

A Life with a Love that is Perfect

True love is perfect. There is nothing to add to it and nothing to take from it.

I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

Only God is perfect and only God’s love is perfect. His love is faithful and His love is just, righteous and upright. When we wonder how a God of love could do something then it is an indication that we do not know Him or His love as we need to know it. All of life is a response to our view of God and His love. Our greatest need in life is to have the correct view of God and His love.

The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

Perfect love casts out fear.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. I John 4:18

If you have fears about God and doubts about His love then those thoughts are not from the Lord. His love is perfect and when one experiences and knows His love then they will have perfect peace.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

God’s perfect love restores.

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; Psalm 19:7a

God’s love is perfect love and when we experience His great love then He begins restoring our soul. His love washes us and cleanses our wounds so that they can heal. If you are hurting or have wounds that have not healed then come to the Lord and ask Him to allow you to know His love for you. He restores and He heals. He is gentle and understands your pain. He will carry your burdens.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

When you experience the great love of God then you will not only experience oneness and healing within but you will begin to know the oneness and unity that He is perfecting in His people.

that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. John 17:23b

God’s love is so great for His people, who are sinners, that He loves them as much as He loves Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, who never sinned and obeyed Him perfectly.

“O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:25,26

When a person comes to know God’s heart and His name then they know His love and His love is in them. Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ do not know God in an intimate manner and they can only know about God. They may pray to a God but it is a ritualistic prayer and not an intimate relationship of one who knows God’s name and has a relationship with Him. The world has no assurance that their prayers are being answered nor can they have any assurance of any eternal salvation. They can only hope but it is a hope that will not be fulfilled because our hope must be in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. He accomplished salvation for the world and it is God’s perfect love that restores man to a relationship with God but each person must receive that love to experience God’s salvation. It is a gift and there is not anything we can do to earn it.

but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. I John 2:5

When His people keep His Word then the Lord is perfecting His love in and through them. His Word communicates His love to His people and when they keep His Word then His love is communicated to the world.

No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. I John 4:12

When God’s people keep His words and love others then God’s love is perfected in them. Not only is God’s love perfected in the one who knows the Lord and walks with Him in obedience to His Word but it is the love of Christ that controls the believer. Therefore, as God’s love is perfected in the believer it also is what transforms the believer. Since Christ died for all, He has called all to live for Him..

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; II Corinthians 5:14

An amazing thing happens when God’s plan of love is carried out in the marriage. As each spouse seeks to love the other fervently then they no longer see the faults and irritations of the other.

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8

They only see the love of the other because their love covers a multitude of shortcomings. It truly is the love of Christ in each spouse that covers a multitude of sins and causes each one to see the other as perfect.

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, I Peter 1:22

It is the love that keeps the marriage fresh and sweet. However, our reservoir of love must not be each other because it will quickly run dry. God’s love never runs out and it will be like a river of love flowing out of the person who has put their trust in Jesus Christ. In fact, the marriage that is filled with God’s love will not be able to keep it to themselves. God’s love will not only overflow into each of the spouses but it will overflow into the lives of others. How blessed will be the children of a husband and wife who have realized that they can not do it on their own and that they need One who is stronger and wiser than they are to be their Lord and Savior. God’s love is like a sweet fragrance that refreshes the hearts of others. The world is looking to see a marriage done right. Everyone longs to see love in others and especially in marriages. When a husband and wife love each other with an unselfish, pure and god-like love, then it is one of the most powerful influences for good and that married couple truly will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

The Results of a Great Life

Great lives are rare but when you are around a great life you often are aware of it and it has a profound effect on you. If you can’t be around a great life then read books and stories of great lives. You will always learn something and will be blessed, that is, if you want to become great in this life. The Lord tells us not to seek it but He does want us to seek to be more like Him and in doing so, we will live a great life.

Jeremiah 45:5a But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them;

Seek great things for God and for His glory and you will see Him. He does great things and wonders without number. When you see His greatness then you will worship Him.

Job 5:9 Who does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.

Those who do truly great things will acknowledge that it is the Lord that has done these great things and that apart from Him they can do nothing great. The great things that God does are good and they are righteous and true.

Psalm 71:19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

The Lord’s lovingkindness and His truth go before Him. When we exhibit these qualities of Christ then we will see Him work and do even greater things. There is no revival apart from His Word, which is His truth, and His love. When we walk in the truth of the Lord and we love like He has loved us then we will be the salt and light that He has made us to be. Love without truth will mislead and truth without love will not lead. God’s work done in God’s way will change a life and will change a city and will change a nation. The results of a great life will be change for the good.

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

Often we don’t know and can not verbalize the truth and the same with love but when we see it then we recognize it and will sometimes say, “that is good”. Those who are great will exhibit love and truth and it will have a compounding ripple effect. There is something within us that wants to be good. Many people will say, “I am basically a good person” and when parents are asked about what they want for their children they will say that they want them to be good. Parents will praise their children for being good. We want to be good and we want those around us to be good.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.

When we see someone who is truly good then we want to be like them and we realize that we really are not very good at all. A great person will have a good heart because the Lord has given them a new heart and they have been faithful to nourish what the Lord has done in their heart. A person with a good heart will reflect our heart because their heart is pure. For this reason a person who has a corrupt heart will not reflect our heart but will rather deceive us and make us feel good about ourselves so that we will say, “I am not so bad after all”. The Lord tells us to stay away from people with a bad heart because they will ultimately corrupt us. Bad company corrupts good morals, as the Scripture tells us.

Luke 8:8 Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

A great life will have an honest and good heart. They will hold fast to the Lord through His Word and will do what it says. They will bear much fruit and that fruit in turn will bear more fruit.

Luke 8:15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

The effects of a great life are very far reaching through many generations. Usually behind a great man is a great wife. Sometimes a great life is public and sometimes it is more in the background. Often a great mother will have great children and there is not much in life as influential and powerful as a great husband and a great wife who become parents and have children. Great parents will instill greatness in their children through seeing the greatness of God. Great parents will love God and His Word and will be characterized by their love for one another and their love for others.

Psalm 112:1-4 How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

How blessed is the person who learns to fear the Lord and who greatly delights in His Word. His children will be become great and will be blessed. True wealth and true riches are in his house and he will do what is right. He will have the light of Christ and will be a light to others. He will show love and truth in all that he does. This is what it means to be truly great.