A Life with Love Has a Great Cost

The Lord loves mankind and each person in the world. He desires that each one would know God and His great love for them. Apart from God and His great love each person will perish and spend an eternity away from God and separated from His love.

but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. II Peter 3:9b

God is patient towards us. He wants us all to choose to know His love. Love is a choice and the Lord has given the choice to each person to come to Him so that they might not perish.

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

The gift that God offers to any who will receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is to become His child. This offer is to any who will call upon Jesus Christ.

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, John 1:12

To become God’s child is a free gift of love that God has given to those who believe in Jesus, His only begotten Son. It is a gift of life as well as a gift of love. To become His child means that a person is adopted into God’s family. It is a legal adoption with all of the rights as of the only begotten child of God, who is Jesus Christ. An adopted child of God becomes a fellow heir with Jesus Christ.

but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, Romans 8:15b-17a

However, the gift came at a great cost to God. God, the Father, gave His only begotten Son to die for the world that they might live. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came and shed His blood to give us this gift of life and love.

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. I Peter 1:18,19

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the innocent One who was slain for the world. The world had turned its back on God and now God turned His back on His Son so that the world might have the gift of love and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

This Lamb of God, who paid the price of His own blood to give to the world the gift of love has become the Shepherd of those who come into His flock through believing in Him. He, who is now the Good Shepherd, understands the sheep and their needs.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11

You know when you belong to the Good Shepherd because you hear His voice. He will shepherd you as the Good Shepherd and you will know His love. Love gives security. When someone gives their life to Jesus Christ and He becomes their Shepherd and they become one of the sheep of His flock then no one can snatch them from Him. They are secure now and forever.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27,28

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd and He knows His own and His own know Him.

I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, John 10:14

The day will come when we will see the Lamb of God on the throne of God. He is the Good Shepherd and will shepherd all who belong to Him forever. When they see Him He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16,17

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. He is patient and not wishing for any to perish but when He comes it will be too late for those who did not choose to love Him when they had the chance.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. II Peter 3:8,9

Come to Christ. His arms are open wide. When He went to the cross His arms were stretched out for the world. He will receive anyone who comes to Him. He will receive you and you will receive Jesus Christ and His amazing love. Love is a choice and God offers that choice to you.

A Life with Relationships

Relationships help keep us from being lonely and give us worth, purpose and meaning in life. They also keep us balanced and accountable. We were made for relationships and yet many struggle with few meaningful relationships. Relationships teach us how to receive and give love and it is through relationships that the world is changed. Even if you missed out on certain relationships earlier in life it does not define your life or your ability to make relationships. Relationships must be built on the One who designed us to be in relationships.

Genesis 2:8 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The Lord God made man and gave him life. Man became a living being because God gave him life and God is the source of all life. When God is absent in a person’s life then he only exists, rather than thrive and life life to the fullest.

Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Everything that God had done up to this point He said that it was good. However, after He formed man then He said that it is not good for man to be alone. It was not good then and it is not good now for man to be alone. Man had God but man still needed to be in a relationship with another human being. Through another human being man would find companionship, help and love. The word “helper” means literally savior and is the only time in the Bible that it is used in reference to a person. Every other time it is used in reference to God. The word “suitable” means corresponding to. God made a helper who would respond to Adam’s heart and bring him companionship. Even though Adam lived in a perfect environment and had a job to do, which was to cultivate the earth and name the animals, he still needed a helper and companion, who would respond to his heart. God made man and woman because He wanted them but God made Eve for Adam because they needed each other. Man was not made to live alone. God loved man and woman from the beginning and gave them instructions on life because He wanted them to live life to the fullest.

Genesis 2:15-18 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

The Lord knew what man needed and as long as man listened to and obeyed God then man and woman would live happily ever after. As long as they lived in their relationship with their Creator then they would be safe from any grief and the pain of death.

Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Woman did not listen to the one whom God had given to protect her and Adam chose also to not obey what he knew was right and so both chose to go their own way and do their own thing apart from what God had commanded. Their relationship with God was changed and they became estranged and separated. The Lord came and they hid.

Genesis 3:8-10 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

Separation, death and guilt came into the world and with it fear, grief, pain and blame. When trust is gone in relationships then the relationship is changed and not the same. With broken relationships come broken hearts. With broken hearts there comes blame. Someone is responsible for the brokenness. Often we want to transfer the blame.

Genesis 3:11-13 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 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.”

With broken relationships come consequences which bring more sadness.

Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”

Woman sinned first and the Lord spoke to her first. The consequences of her sin was pain in childbirth and she would desire her husband but he would rule over her.

Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

Man sinned by doing what his wife wanted him to do rather than what God wanted him to do. He disobeyed God. His consequences were that the ground would be cursed because of him and there would be thorns and thistles that would make his work more difficult. He would now have to sweat things out in his work and it would not be as pleasant and enjoyable as God had designed. Man still struggles with the thorns and thistles in his occupation.

Genesis 3:22-24 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

It was God’s mercy that sent Adam and Eve out of the garden lest they eat of the tree of life and live forever in their now sinful state. Before God sent them out of the garden the Lord also gave Adam and Eve a promise of a Savior so that they might have hope and not despair.

Genesis 3:14a,15  The Lord God said to the serpent,
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

There would come from the seed of the woman a Savior who would destroy the tempter, Satan, who had brought grief to Adam and Eve. Mankind came into an awful cycle that only God could straighten out, a cycle of sin and death and with it a cycle of grief and despair. Man became brokenhearted with broken relationships.

Isaiah 61:1 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;

The promised One who would destroy the works of the devil would also bind up the brokenhearted and heal them and heal their relationships.

 

 

 

A Life with Love is So Amazing

Love is so amazing. Love empowers the giver of love and the receiver of the love. Love influences and changes lives. Love gives worth to the recipient and even gives greater worth to the one who gives love. Love sets free the one who loves and sets free the one who is loved. Love gives great joy to the recipient and even greater joy to the giver. There is nothing that can compare with love. Money can not buy it. Love can not be sold. Love is a gift that is a choice of the lover and the one who is loved to receive the gift of love. Love can not be forced but it is a force that changes people, nations and the world. The one who loves is more at peace, has more joy, experiences more freedom and is richer than the richest person who has ever lived. With love people can do far more than they ever dreamed and without love a person is almost paralyzed with loneliness, fear and many other ailments.

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

God is love. Love is who God is and the Lord made man to receive love and to give love. The Lord made man in His image and an attribute of God is love.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; Genesis 1:27, 28a

Man and woman together is the image of God. It is a mystery and it is beautiful the way God created male and female. We need each other. It is not good for man or woman to be alone.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18

It is not good for a husband and wife to be alone. The Lord called them to multiply so that together they could not only love each other but love another with the love they had together.

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, Genesis 1:28a

Love is a choice and the Lord allowed choices in the garden so that man and woman could always choose to love God. God loved Adam and Eve but He did not force them to love Him.

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16,17

The Lord still offers man the choice to love Him. Love means coming to God. God’s grace through Jesus Christ is His invitation to come to Him and be restored to Him and to live in His amazing love.

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

Eternal life is knowing God. When a person comes to God then they come into a personal knowledge of God through Jesus Christ.

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

When a person comes to know God then they also come into an experiential knowledge of the love of God. This love changes their life. This love changes everything about them. This love of God changes their desires, their decisions and their destiny. The love of God through Jesus Christ sets them free from their unforgiveness, bitterness, their sin and their guilt. This love from God living in them through His Holy Spirit empowers them to live above their circumstances and to have a peace and a joy in their circumstances. This love of God gives them more worth than all the money in the world for now they are a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. I John 3:1a

God’s love is truly amazing and although we will most likely never fully understand it we can experience in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is love and the expression of love. When we know Jesus Christ then we know love. When we become God’s child then we have love. When we give God’s love to others then we express His love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I John 4:7

A Life with Victory

Victory is sweet to those who experience it and when we have victory we want to keep it. How do we live a victorious life? There are three things that we must have victory over or we will end up being defeated no matter what we achieve or accomplish in this life. We must have victory over sin, self and Satan. These three things will pull us down and keep us down.

Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

Sin ensnares and holds us captive through its cords. Sin controls and defeats us. The wicked person, who does not seek the Lord and fear Him, will be his biggest enemy and he will be held with the cords of his own sin.

Psalm 36:1-4 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For it flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not despise evil.

The wicked person is one who believes in God but does not despise sin. He even flatters himself in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his sin and the “hatred” of it. However, he does not hate it enough to turn to the Lord and repent. He does not really want to quit. The wicked is often someone who used to have a “sensitivity to God”.

Romans 8:2,3 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

Jesus Christ is the only One who can give us victory over sin. He condemned sin in His flesh by going to the cross for those who had sinned and are worthy of death. This includes all of mankind. We have all sinned and need a Savior to save us from our sin.

I John 2:15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Our fleshly self will defeat us. This is also a constant battle but brings freedom to the one who has victory. Jesus Christ is the only One who can give us victory in this area. If you have received Christ then your “self” has been crucified with Him.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

You will find that as you feed your spirit and starve your flesh then the spirit will have the victory and you will do the things that are pleasing to God.

Romans 8:5-8 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Finally, Satan has been defeated through Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.

Colossians 2:13b-15 He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Now live in the victory that Jesus Christ has accomplished for you. He came to set you free and to give you life.

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

He made you to be an overcomer through Him. Sin, self and Satan are in the world but Jesus Christ came so that we could experience victory through faith in Him.

 

 

A Life with Victory

Victory is sweet to those who experience it and when we have victory we want to keep it. How do we live a victorious life? There are three things that we must have victory over or we will end up being defeated no matter what we achieve or accomplish in this life. We must have victory over sin, self and Satan. These three things will pull us down and keep us down.

Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked,
And he will be held with the cords of his sin.

Sin ensnares and holds us captive through its cords. Sin controls and defeats us. The wicked person, who does not seek the Lord and fear Him, will be his biggest enemy and he will be held with the cords of his own sin.

Psalm 36:1-4 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
For it flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
He plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not despise evil.

The wicked person is one who believes in God but does not despise sin. He even flatters himself in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his sin and the “hatred” of it. However, he does not hate it enough to turn to the Lord and repent. He does not really want to quit. The wicked is often someone who used to have a “sensitivity to God”.

Romans 8:2,3 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

Jesus Christ is the only One who can give us victory over sin. He condemned sin in His flesh by going to the cross for those who had sinned and are worthy of death. This includes all of mankind. We have all sinned and need a Savior to save us from our sin.

I John 2:15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Our fleshly self will defeat us. This is also a constant battle but brings freedom to the one who has victory. Jesus Christ is the only One who can give us victory in this area. If you have received Christ then your “self” has been crucified with Him.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

You will find that as you feed your spirit and starve your flesh then the spirit will have the victory and you will do the things that are pleasing to God.

Romans 8:5-8 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Finally, Satan has been defeated through Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross.

Colossians 2:13b-15 He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Now live in the victory that Jesus Christ has accomplished for you. He came to set you free and to give you life.

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

He made you to be an overcomer through Him. Sin, self and Satan are in the world but Jesus Christ came so that we could experience victory through faith in Him.

 

 

A Life with Love is Influential

Nothing in all of the world has a greater influence than love. Men and women can be forced to do things they don’t want to do but love will cause the very things that they otherwise would not want to do seem like privileges to the one who loves and is loved. No one has had a greater influence on mankind than Jesus Christ. He never forced anyone to follow Him. He loved his followers.

Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1b

He never asked of anyone anything that He himself had not already done. His leadership style was not being served but rather He came to serve.

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

His power was not in Himself but He trusted One who could not be seen.

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, John 5:19

He did nothing on His own initiative and never sought His own will.

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 5:30

He never sought His own glory.

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. John 7:18

He was faithful to do the work that God had given Him to do.

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. John 17:4

He was humble and gentle.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, Matthew 11:29

All of Jesus’ disciples but one died a martyr’s death. They voluntarily gave up their lives for Jesus who loved them and gave His life for them. Nearly two thousand years later people are still following Jesus Christ and giving their lives to love and serve Him and if necessary to die for Christ.

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; Revelation 6:9

Jesus Christ was not physically attractive.

He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. Isaiah 53:2b

Jesus Christ was so unassuming that no one recognized that He was God in the flesh until God revealed it to them.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:15-17

However, Jesus Christ had so much influence when He walked on earth that the religious leaders envied Him so much that they wanted to kill Him. They looked for people to accuse Him so that they might have a reason to put Him to death and they could find no one.

Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. Mark 14:55

Jesus Christ was innocent of any wrong doing and He went around doing good. Yet, His influence was greater than any man who has ever walked on this earth. All of history is determined by His life. B.C. means “before Christ” and A.D. means “in the year of our Lord”. Jesus Christ was crucified, died and was buried and rose again in Jerusalem. Everything to the east of Jerusalem is called the east and everything to the west of Jerusalem is called the west. Geography is measured by His death, burial and resurrection. Men are still today trying to erase His name and put an end to Jesus Christ just as they did in His day. It will never happen. Jesus Christ is alive and is coming back again. He is the beginning and the end.

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12,13

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden the Lord drove them out of the garden lest they eat of the tree of life and live forever separated from God.

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22-24

God sent Jesus Christ to die for the sin of the world so that anyone who would believe in Jesus Christ would be restored to a right relationship with God. Christ died, was buried and rose again so that we might have eternal life.

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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

Those who have believed in Jesus Christ have been forgiven and have had their consciences washed clean through the blood of Christ and have the right to eat of the tree of life and live forever in heaven.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. Revelation 22:14,15

Those who have believed in Jesus Christ have been forgiven and can eat of the tree of life. Those who have not believed in Jesus Christ will be judged for their sins and will not be able to enter into the presence of God. They will be outside forever. The word “dogs” is another word for unbelievers. If we believe in horoscopes or ever have had our fortune told then we are practicing sorcery. If we have ever looked at another person in the wrong way then we are immoral. If we have hated anyone then we have murdered in our heart. If we have ever put anything before God then we have committed idolatry. If we have ever even told a white lie or any lies then we are guilty of lying. All of us deserve judgment and yet the Lord offers us forgiveness because Jesus Christ took our judgment and punishment on the cross. Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been forgiven of their sins and will not be judged and will spend eternity in heaven. Those who have not believed and followed Jesus Christ will be judged for their sins when he comes again and will spend eternity in hell.

A Life with Blessing

The word “blessed” means happy so the life that is filled with blessing is a life that is happy. Since most want to be happy then most of us want to be blessed. Life was meant to be blessed. In the beginning God blessed mankind when He created them.

Genesis 5:2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.

The Lord intended for all the families of the earth to be blessed.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The Lord instructs us on how to live a blessed life. You will be blessed if you observe His testimonies. You will be blessed if you seek Him with all of your heart.

Psalm 119:2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart.

You will be blessed if you fear the Lord and walk in His ways.

Psalm 128:1 How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.

How blessed are the people who have chosen the Lord to be their God.

Psalm 144:15 How blessed are the people who are so situated;
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Blessed are the ones who hope in the Lord and look to Him to be their help.

Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Blessed is the person who finds wisdom and gains understanding.

Proverbs 3:13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.

Blessed is the person who trusts in the Lord.

Proverbs 16:20 He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

The generous person will be blessed.

Proverbs 22:9 He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.

Jesus taught the people who would be blessed.

Matthew 5:3-12

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

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

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus summed up the blessed person in one of His teachings.

Luke 11:28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Do you struggle with being happy. Start with one of these disciplines and ask the Lord for wisdom what He would have you to do. The Lord wants to bless you and He wants you to be a blessing to others. It all begins with Him. The Lord is the One who blesses and He can make you to be a blessing to others. You will know when you have been blessed with the true blessings because your response will be of one who wants to bless the Lord.

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

 

 

 

A Life with Love is Comfort to a Husband

Everyone needs comfort and will seek it out. A man longs for comfort as much as a wife does, however, comfort for a man is different than what is comfort for a wife. A man needs to feel like a man and he is comforted when his manhood and masculinity is affirmed. A man also needs the love and comfort of a female. A man should go from his mother’s love to his wife’s love. For this reason the Lord told the husband to leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

A wife completes a man and together they are the image of God. She brings out of a man something that nothing else will bring out of him.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27

If a man loves his wife then he will be willing to die for her. When he marries his wife he gives her his heart and soul. He makes a total commitment to her because he is taking responsibility for her. The wedding day is a total change for a man. They are no longer two but one and now he is responsible for another. A wife is a gift from God.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

A man needs a wife to comfort him. A wife is a companion to a man. Most men will rise to a higher level in every way when they find a good wife. Marriage is not only union of the body and spirit but union of the soul. A wife becomes a man’s soulmate and he will share his innermost thoughts, ambitions and desires with her. He needs a wife whom he can trust.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life. Proverbs 31:10-12

One of the meanings of the word “good” means the highest form of love. An excellent wife will love her husband and only do her husband good. One of the meanings of “evil” is to bring grief. An excellent wife will not bring her husband grief. She will be his greatest treasure and will bring him comfort through her quiet and gentle spirit that trusts in the Lord. He will know that she will always be there for him. He can trust her.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

An excellent wife will be the crown of her husband. A man needs to rule and an excellent wife gives him the right to rule. A wife needs to understand that God made men to conquer and rule and a husband must first believe that he rules well in his home first before he can conquer the world. A husband that has an unsubmissive wife will be frustrated all of his days and will bring her husband shame. Submission is a good thing within God’s will. A submissive wife helps her husband succeed as a father and also in life. A man ruling his family well is so important that the Lord makes it a requirement for leadership outside of the family.

He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?) I Timothy 3:4,5

A husband also needs his wife’s praise and respect. Often a man will put on a facade of confidence but on the inside he feels his own insecurity and failures. He needs for his wife to respect him and praise him. Their children need for her to praise her husband publicly around them. A child’s self worth comes from their father and when a wife praises her husband to her children then she is actually increasing their own worth and confidence in life.

And the glory of sons is their fathers. Proverbs 17:6b

A wife also brings comfort to a man through the physical comfort of her body.

Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love. Proverbs 5:18,19

If every wife understood her husband’s need for comfort and love and met them then there would be few divorces. Divorce begins with the neglect of comfort for each other. A man generally will not leave his wife for any other reason than for the comfort of another woman. Any woman who marries or has an affair with a married man is an adulteress. It will be his destruction but he is blinded by his need for love and comfort. An adulteress is a totally selfish and manipulative woman who cares only for herself and does not even have the capacity to love a man. She will use him and never respect him. She is pretentious in her words and actions.

The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the Lord will fall into it. Proverbs 22:14

An adulteress uses the two main needs of a married man to deceive him and lay a trap for him to fall into a deep pit. A man needs praise and he needs physical intimacy. An adulteress flatters a man that she wants to deceive. Flattery and praise sound the same but flattery is manipulative and praise is genuine.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your intimate friend;
That they may keep you from an adulteress,
From the foreigner who flatters with her words. Proverbs 7:4,5

An adulteress offers to a man what his wife is not satisfying him with, to both of their destruction.

“Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning;
Let us delight ourselves with caresses.
“For my husband is not at home,
He has gone on a long journey;
He has taken a bag of money with him,
At the full moon he will come home.”
With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him.
Suddenly he follows her
As an ox goes to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool,
Until an arrow pierces through his liver;
As a bird hastens to the snare,
So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:18-23

He may no longer desire his wife’s affections because he is bitter toward her.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Colossians 3:19

A man’s eyes may no longer be satisfied with his wife. Generally, a man who is moral before marriage will be moral after marriage. The eyes of man are never satisfied but he needs to learn self control so that he will be satisfied with his wife.

Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. Proverbs 27:20

If he has self control before marriage then it will be easier for him to exercise self control after marriage. A man who wants to have a great marriage and be faithful to the Lord might want to make a covenant with his eyes just as Job did to keep himself pure. A faithful husband needs to do whatever he needs to do to hold himself accountable to God.

I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin? Job 31:1

Also, if his wife satisfies his physical needs then he will not be so easily tempted just as a man needs to satisfy his wife’s emotional needs so she will not be tempted. Marriages are God’s provision for comfort and love for a man and a woman. Marriage gets sweeter and sweeter as the years go by if the husband and wife learn to love and comfort each other. It is the most intimate of all relationships and the closest that one can come to experiencing heaven on earth if both are believers in Jesus Christ.

A Life with Faith

A life with faith is one of pleasing the Lord through believing Him and trusting Him.  If you desire to please the One who loves you so much then you must live by faith. Faith is coming to Him and believing His Word. We think that we would be blessed if we could actually see the Lord but the Lord says, “blessed are they who did not see and yet believe”. Faith is believing in His promises by actually taking Him at His Word and acting as if they will come to pass. The outcome will be that you will see His faithfulness to fulfill His promises and you will grow to love Him more and more. When you grow to love Him more then you will want to please Him more and your faith will grow.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The opposite of faith is despair. Despair leads downward into darkness of the soul. Faith leads upward into the light of the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

When you believe and have faith then it fosters courage which brings about hope.

Romans 5:5 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.

Are you struggling in your faith? The Lord’s provision for you is His Word. Spend time in His Word until your faith is increased. Keep reading until a verse speaks to you. It is the Lord calling you to Himself. He wants to speak to you through His Spirit and bless you.

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Ask the Lord to help you grow in your faith as you seek Him through His Word. He “meets the one who delights in righteousness”.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

 

A Life with Love is Comfort to a Child

God loves children and has provided comfort for them. God, in His kindness and goodness, provided parents to be a comfort for their children. Children are so vulnerable and helpless that the Lord provided a double layer of comfort for children. If one parent fails then there is another to give the child what he or she needs. The greatest reproach that the Lord could give a Christian is given to a parent who does not provide for their family.

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. I Timothy 5:8

The first thing that a baby seeks for is comfort. Even before food, a newborn baby will quit crying when they are comforted. A baby has already learned the sound of their mother’s voice before they come out of the womb. When they hear that sweet voice then they are comforted. Even a baby can make the connection between a voice and comfort. How great is our longing for the comfort of feeling loved. As soon as a baby learns to nurse, a baby will associate the closeness of the mother and her warm milk with love. A baby will grow and thrive in proportion to its intake of milk and love. In a similar way, we grow as Christians in our relationship with the Lord in proportion to our intake of His Word and the knowledge of His love for us.

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, I Peter 2:2

Children need for their souls to grow in wisdom and knowledge and their bodies to grow and mature in stature. They will do so as they soul (which is their mind and heart), is nourished through love and knowledge and they will grow strong in body as they are nourished with good food. Feed a child junk food and his body will not be as strong and healthy and in the same way, feed a child’s soul the junk food of entertainment, internet, television or songs filled with the perversions of the flesh and their souls will become sick and perverted as well.

For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8

Do not expect for the heart and mind of a child to long for what is good when they have never known what is good. A child’s heart is like a sponge and will absorb what it is around. Only God is good and a child’s heart must be filled with the love and knowledge of God.

No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18b

Two of a child’s biggest needs of their souls are security and significance or worth. Both of these needs are met through love. Love believes the best and sees the best. A parent is given the responsibility of instilling in a child a sense of security in who they are, how special they are created, and a sense of destiny and purpose in believing that they are of great worth. This can only come from teaching them and showing them who God is and how wonderful His love is for them. The Lord formed and created each child and He makes no mistakes.

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Psalm 139:13-15

A child needs to know that the Lord sees them at all times and is aware of all of their actions and words. This will put in children a healthy respect for God and will keep them from many a temptation when they would otherwise think that no one sees them.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Psalm 139:1-6

A child needs an example to learn from and not just be told what to do. We all know instinctively what we need to do but we do not know how to do it. Words are not enough.

A slave will not be instructed by words alone; For though he understands, there will be no response. Proverbs 29:19

A child will feel loved and will feel secure when they see their parents loving each other. Love is a choice and no matter what your “feelings” may be at any given time, you can always choose to love another. The Lord would not have commanded us to do something if He did not give us the grace to do it.

This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:17

There are not many things that the Lord says that He hates, but He says that He hates divorce. Why does He hate divorce? He says He hates divorce because of what it does to the children.

This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” Malachi 2:13-16

If you love God then you will love what He loves and you will hate what He hates. No one can say that He loves God and counsels someone to be separated or divorced.

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

The Lord says that what He has joined together let no man separate.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Matthew 19:6

Divorce destroys everyone it touches. A man has to harden his heart to divorce his wife and a wife also has a hardened heart if she divorces her husband. There is no innocent one in a marriage where there is divorce. That is a lie that is seeking to place the blame elsewhere. Most divorces happen because of two people who compromised before they were married and in their marriage they reaped the fruit of their own sins which they did before they were married. The children are the innocent ones and the lack of control before marriage is expressed in the divorce and it is the children who suffer. Children do not learn love and commitment when there is a divorce and their significance and security in life is shaken, sometimes never to be recovered.

Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:33

The greatest temptations for children come from seeking comfort when they have little or none. A child receives love and comfort through attention, praise, discipline, forgiveness and their needs of justice, provision and protection being met. If every parent understood this then there would be few runaways. There would be no gangs and very little juvenile delinquency. There would also be fewer broken hearts of parents.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, Psalm 127:3a

The Lord gives children as gifts and when they are brought up in the Lord, as God designed, then they bring great joy to the parents as they grow and mature and they bring great comfort to the parents when the parents are old.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:4,5

How blessed are the parents who followed the Lord and trusted in Him rather than in the ways of the world. Everyone wants “good” children but the only way that someone will have “good” children is if they have godly children because only God is good.

No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18b