Tag Archive | Love

Does love really mean not calling sin…sin?

Feb7

Question: Shouldn’t Christians just show love to others and stop trying to shame them about their sins?

Answer:  That depends on what you mean by “showing love.”  Consider this:  a good and loving parent teaches their child right from wrong and lets that child know that doing wrong (sinning) will lead to negative consequences.  For example, the loving parent will teach their child not to play with matches. They will tell him what could happen if he started a fire that caused himself or others to be seriously burned.  The parent would let the child know that his disobedience could even lead to the entire house burning to the ground.  If that child still goes and plays with the matches, the parent will tell the child, again, why this was wrong and punish the child to discourage him from doing it again.  Likely, that child will feel ashamed when being called out for doing wrong.

But, better that parent tell that child what he was doing was wrong than keeping the child ignorant of the dangers of his actions… actions that could possibly lead to catastrophic results!  That parent telling the child his behavior was wrong was actually showing love to that child. For it would not be very loving to let that child remain unaware of his dangerous behavior and the potentially deadly consequences.

Likewise, God wants Believers to tell  the world His Gospel. In fact, Jesus left us with the Great Commission to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” ( Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)  Of utmost importance in what His Holy Word teaches is the deadly consequences of our sin.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Since Romans 3:23 says that we “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we all need our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Therefore,  it would not be very loving to keep people ignorant of the dangers of their sinful behavior.  Letting people know what sin is and the consequences of their sin is actually a loving thing to do. Just always let them know in ways that are compassionate and caring – remembering that we were all lost in sin until we accepted Jesus as our Savior.  Thank God for His saving grace!

(Reposted from my February 2017 Blog Post)

Do you know which is the greatest commandment?

Feb10

Question: Which is the greatest commandment?

Answer: Jesus said: ”… you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There are no other commandments greater than these.” (Mark 12: 30-31 NKJV)

So, based on these commandments, how should Believers live to please Jesus? Start with asking yourself, “Do I truly love the LORD?” Usually, what we truly love, we prioritize in our lives. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”(John 14:15) Ask yourself, “Is it my priority to follow God’s word in every aspect of my life? Am I truly putting God first?”

If your answer is yes – and if you are a Believer, your answer should be yes – how are you showing your love for Jesus? For example, are you reading His word to know what He has to say to you? Throughout the Bible, from the beginning in Genesis to the end of Revelation, you learn what God has to say about how He wants us to live to please Him. Believers, remember that we are to, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) This is what the Apostle Paul told Timothy to teach the people of his day, and studying God’s word is what we should do as well.

Also, are you seeking the help of God’s Holy Spirit to guide you in your daily decision-making? Or, do you make decisions based only on what pleases you- even if it goes against the directions of God and supports sin? If so, you need to repent of your sins, ask forgiveness, and do what God says is right.

The Apostle Paul warns the Galatians to, “…Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 NKJV) Paul goes on to list examples of the works of the flesh versus the “fruit of the Spirit.” (Read Galatians 5:19-26)

And, what about loving your neighbor as yourself? Are you showing love to others like God would want you to? For example, do you look down on or dislike people who are a different race than you, or who are poor, or who are rich, or who have little education? If so, this is not showing love for one another. You need to repent and ask forgiveness of these sins.

You should seek ways you can show the love of Christ to others. For example, you could help out those in need and “…through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). In your dealings with others, remember to treat them with fairness, kindness, and respect. But, you should show others love without tolerating their sin. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans12:9) And remember to pray for one another!

Even though we all fall short in showing the love of Christ sometimes, know that God still loves us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Loving God and loving your neighbor. So, how are you doing with following these commandments?

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Why is everybody so angry?

May7

Question: I’m encountering more and more people being mean these days. Why are people so angry?

Answer: It does seem as if we are witnessing an increase in people being mean and “behaving badly!” Many people seem perfectly fine with acting out angrily against others. For example, if you choose not to speed down the road, impatient drivers will speed around you…even cutting you off while cursing you out in the process. Another example is teachers having to deal with parents or students speaking to them rudely and even threatening them because the student received a bad grade. In other cases, teachers and administrators are being rude and unfair to parents and students when they disagree with what they are being taught. Each side can get so angry at the other that they refuse to even try to work peaceably on solutions together.

More examples of anger can be seen in the huge rise in violent crimes. More and more cities are becoming so overrun with crime, the people there feel like they’re living in a war zone. Murders, rapes, and assaults are increasingly being committed – even against the elderly and small children. There is an environment where there is no regard for life! So many people just seem to be mad at the world!

We also see this anger being displayed shamelessly through social media. Instead of using these platforms for positive things like sharing God’s Word or nurturing relationships with positive pictures and thoughts, some choose to do just the opposite. They would prefer to share mean posts and comments! They forget that while they can hide from people behind a computer screen they can’t hide from God. He sees and hears everything that we do and say and will judge us accordingly if we don’t repent of our sins!

But people continue to take out their pent-up anger on others everywhere from in the home to out in the community. They lash out at co-workers, doctors, flight attendants, grocery and restaurant employees, rival sports fans, and even fellow churchgoers. These displays of anger are especially sad and disappointing when we see them coming from those who say they are Believers!

The bottom line is that when we are being mean to people, we are committing sin! We are being disobedient to God because Jesus said, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31 ESV)

We learn from the Apostle Paul that God wants us to show love to one another just as God shows love to us. Part of showing this love is to be kind to each other and not rude (Read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). Paul also reminds us to be kind and control our anger in his letter to the Ephesians. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil….. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:26-27, 29).”

He goes on to say, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4: 31- 32)”

Since none of us is perfect, there will be times when we get angry. In fact, there are times when we witness evil that we should get angry. Even Jesus looked on the religious leaders with anger when they were opposed to Him healing a man on the Sabbath (read Mark 3:1-5). But we are not to hold on to our anger until it causes us to sin.

Believers must remember to pray to God in Jesus’ name and lean on His Holy Spirit to help us deal with our anger. Then, we can truly stop being so angry! Amen!

Are you being pulled away from your true love – Jesus?

Feb5

Question: My life has been so busy lately; I haven’t been able to fit in going to church or even reading my Bible! What should I do?

Answer: There are certainly many things in our lives that can demand a great deal of our time like our jobs, schooling, and family obligations. But there are other things that we do where we can be more flexible when it comes to our time, like socializing, participating in our favorite hobbies, or volunteering in various community activities. While all these things can be good to do, you can’t say that you have time for them, but you can’t find time to devote to God!

The truth is, Satan can use our busyness to pull us away from God. Even as Believers, we could be blinded to this truth. We’d continue to say we love God and we love His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, but fail to put God first in our lives.

When this happens, we need to acknowledge our sinful neglect of God and pray to Jesus for forgiveness of our sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NKJV) God’s willingness to forgive us is one way He shows His love for us. Believers must always remember that God also showed us His love when He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins and raised Him to life again on the third day. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sins. That’s true love!

We are reminded of God’s love in many verses. For example:

-“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

-“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9)

-“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)

-As Believers, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

So, make time to attend church regularly (Hebrews 10:25), study your Bible (2 Timothy 3:16), and live every aspect of your daily life to please God. Don’t let anything pull you away from your true love – Jesus!