Tag Archives: love

Seven Qualities to Add to Our Faith

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2 Peter 1:5-7

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

The term, “for this reason,” means in view of all God’s blessings (from the previous verses); that after one becomes a Christian and a partaker of the divine nature, and having precious promises (in the word of God), so that we may escape the corruption in the world, we also must apply “all diligence—that is, give our best effort to the following things: 1) in our faith (the Christian’s gift from God) supply moral excellence. We are to live a good life of godly excellence; and since this excellence is only the first level of virtue, I think it may be a behavior that has not yet changed the heart completely 2) In this godly excellence we are to produce knowledge (the knowledge of God). That is, we are to take time to study the word of God in a pursuit of the knowledge of God, and to apply it. 3) Then, if the Christian is guided by knowledge he will learn to control his bodily desires—getting rid of lustful thoughts and habits. 4) This self-control ought to continue on, which is perseverance. 5) If your moral perseverance is strong it will produce godliness—always being obedient to God. 6) In your godliness, God will lead you to be kind toward other believers. 7) And then you will grow to have genuine love for everyone, always putting their need above your own. I see this list of virtues (or qualities) as levels of Christian growth—all of which are necessary in order to produce spiritual fruit that God desires (look at verses 8-9).

Keep Fervent in Your Love

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1 Peter 4:8

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

Here Peter indicates that love for one another (in the body of Christ) is most important, especially in these last days—at “the end of all things.” We don’t want to be guilty of any sin against our brothers—especially when He comes. Hence, love will help us to end any sin we have toward another.

Purified for A Sincere Love

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1 Peter 1:22

22 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,

Here we have an obvious break in the narrative, where Peter turns more toward application. In verses 13-17 he encourages the reader toward obedience and holiness. Now he sharpens the scope toward love of the brethren. As Peter put it, in their obedience to the truth (as obedient Christians) they acted to purify their souls so that they were able to fervently love one another from the heart.

Three Ways to Be Bolder In Witnessing

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarPrayer A to Z

 

All the things we have discussed so far in previous blogs, with the resolve to pray over them, will help us with boldness.  Being aware of the harvest will make us more compassionate in our boldness.  Seeing the horrors of hell, the shortness of the time, and our grave responsibility to witness will make us more urgent in our boldness.  But I think the most helpful thing is to have a Christ-like love for the lost and to be excited to share with them. This is what I think we should really concentrate on.

With that said, I would like to talk more now on love, then on hope, and last on faith in an effort to make us bolder in witnessing.

 

Boldness by love.  Jerry Wiles says that boldness is “born of love.”  He says, “Lack of boldness is very likely related to a lack of…

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Love Your Enemies

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In Matthew 5: 43-44, we have this teaching to love our enemies, in contrast to the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes, to love their neighbors, but to hate their enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

It is well known that the Jews in biblical times separated themselves from all others and regarded them as dogs. They drew their teaching from the Old Testament, where we find that God commanded His people to exterminate all the pagans in Cannon: the Amorites, the Moabites, the Midianites, and the Amalekites. And they also drew their teaching from the imprecatory Psalms, where the psalmist called curses on certain of God’s enemies.

But our answer is that their extermination was not a matter of personal hate, but of judgment and for the glory of God. God loves all people—all of His creation—but at the same time He must deal with us according to our sin. So, there is love, and there is also judgment. God loves all. He causes His sun to rise on the evil as well as the good; and so, He blesses all, even those who hate Him. But at the same time, unless man repents, they will eventually be judged by a righteous and holy God.

The Command to Love

In Matthew 5:38-42, we are instructed to resist not evil.  For example, if someone slaps us on the cheek, we are not to resist him. But then, our next step is to bless the one who hit us with kindness and love. What can we say or do to bless him? What would Jesus do? Scripture says that we are to be perfect just as our Father in heaven is perfect. This is the way of a Christian, the way of love.

How to Love

I think the most basic principle of love is that it is not dependent on what others say or do to us, but is governed by our view of the needs of others. That is, we must look to see how we can help them.

This attitude requires that we be detached from ourselves. That is, we must look away from our own feelings, away from any pain and hurt and pride; we must learn to put all that aside and focus on others—to love them, to love them with a disregard for ourselves and what it may cost us. Even if they do not except our love, and if they scream at us, and even hit us; we are to understand them and persist with our mission of love to them.

Here is a three-point requirement for anyone who is interested in loving others:

1. We must understand why people will reject our love to them—because they are governed by the god of this world.

2. We must do all we can to rescue them.

3. When you love them, do it not to befriend them, but to help them and to display the love of God to them. Let them see the love of God in you.

Now, be ready to do battle. Even when you love, the world will naturally hate you. But be persistent in your reply.

  • Reply to bitter words with kind words.
  • Reply to spiteful actions with good deeds.
  • Reply to persecution with your prayers for them.

And remember, your goal is not to befriend them or get them to like you, but to allow them to see the love of God, so that they might glorify Him.

SOURCE: Studies in the Sermon of the Mount, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Who are the Professional Riot Groups?

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Though there were, to begin with, somewhat peaceful protests because of the unjustifiable death of George Floyd, it seems apparent now in Minneapolis (and also now in other cities), that outside professional riot groups have come in to stir up riots and looting. President Trump largely blames antifa, but Minnesota officials blame white supremacists.

Well, who ever it is, they are bad. Both groups are evil. Some are saying that white supremacists are conservative Christians. But that is dead wrong. Christians, true Christians are good not evil. True Christians love people—both white and black people. A Christians is a following of Christ. And Christ came to love all people, and He gave His life to save all people. A white supremacist hates all people but his own race. He is totally selfish.

The antifa  movement is a militant, left-wing, political activist movement, that hold ideologies such as socialism, communism, etc. I suppose in this case they would be trying to stir up things so as to later point the finger at Trump for failing to act. Or they may be trying to stir up trouble in order to later call on a global government to save the day.

But like I said, they are both evil groups and I don’t think they would have any trouble working together. Evil loves company.