Love in the Bible, Part Two
Now that we have an idea of the differences of what God's love vs. human love means:
Let's take a look at what the bible tells us about God's love.
When we first meet someone and become friends.
We tend to try to show our "good" side
to them first off. We want them to see
the good qualities and vise versa right?
With time, we allow them to see
the "rest" of us.
I guess with time, we think that
people will learn to accept our inadequacies,
our fears and such things, that they may
not accept right off the bat.
Not so with our Lord. He wants us to
learn about Him; who He is, everything
about Him is an open book.
(no pun on words there) He is an open book.
For all who will seek Him. And He knows
everything there is to know about us.
He knows us better than we know ourselves.
(I think, sometimes we like to
try to forget that part,
because if there is any sin in our life
or behaviour that doesn't go coincide
with His, we have to face it, and once
that happens, there is turmoil between
our flesh and our spirit which doesn't
go away until it is dealt with.
When you are a child of His.)
So let's take a look at God's character first.
1 John 4: 8 tells us ....
(He that loveth not, knoweth not God;
for God is love.)
2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us again...
¶ Finally, brethren, farewell.
Be perfect, be of good comfort,
be of one mind, live in peace;
and the God of love and peace
shall be with you.
Jesus talks about the love of God,
His love for His only Son in John 15:10...
If ye keep my commandments,
ye shall abide in my love;
even as I have kept my Father's commandments,
and abide in his love.
Eph 2:4 also speaks of Gods love...
¶ But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might
shew the exceeding riches of his grace
in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God:
This lifting up from death to
a new life is due to God,
"rich in mercy", and on account
of the "great love wherewith he loved
us". #Eph 2:5 affirms the fact.
(Peoples NT Commentary)
The book of Ephesians is a great
place to really meditate on
the love of God. And Ephesians 3:19
gives us the reason God wants us
to know and fully understand
His love for us.
Eph 3:19 And to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with
all the fulness of God.
There are stories and examples
throughout the bible for our benefit.
To learn from, to help us get through
each and every day of our lives.
They are real people with real situations,
that many of us experience.
In all honesty, I used to read
about them and think to myself,
well they were "special".
"If they were going through
the things we go thru today,
I wonder how well they would
manage." Or.. "but they were much
holier than I could ever be..."
Things like that.
(pretty opinionated and selfish eh?)
But, the more time I spent reading,
and praying for the Lord to open
my eyes to what He wanted me to see,
to learn and to understand,
I began to really and fully find out
that these were ordinary people
just like you and I. And that my
earlier "thinking" was so wrong.
I mentioned before that altho
there are several people that
are written about in the bible,
that we all have our "favorites"
for whatever reasons. Perhaps we
identify with the situation,
or we find that we have somewhat,
the same personality traits....
I have several "favorites" as far
as that goes, and I am sure you do too.
But my very most favorite of the people
of the bible is Simon Peter.
He is very real to me. I can relate
to him quite well, sometimes too much,
sad to say.
Peter was a fisherman.
Your average blue collar worker.
Worked hard, went to church on a
regular basis. Just a "normal" kinda guy.
Along comes Jesus, one day,
walks up to Peter and his brother
Andrew while they were working and says
"follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men".
The bible says they straightaway
left their nets and followed him.
(the first time I read that,
I marvelled at that. I mean,
what was happening in their minds right then?)
But scripture tells us that
they were already disciples of John.
(John 1:35-42) And John directed
them to Jesus. (John 1:29-34)
As well as Jesus taught and did
most of his miracles in that area.
Peter walked with Jesus during
most of His ministry years left
on earth. Not just showed up
on the sabbath, but lived with Him,
ate, slept and heard everything He taught.
He saw miracles, one after another.
And yet, if you follow Peter from
beginning to end you will find that
there were many "rough edges" that
needed rubbed off so to speak.
Many times he spoke before he thought,
and responded in the "flesh".
And yet, Peter had a good heart.
He loved the Lord!
Do you remember when the disciples
were in the boat on the water,
and they saw Jesus walking towards
them "on" the water? They were all afraid.
They thought they were seeing a ghost,
I mean to our natural way of thinking,
you KNOW that this is not "normal"
much less possible for any "man"
(human) to do this.
Peter, bold character that he is, says
"Lord if that is you, let me walk
out to you" and Jesus says
"come here then". It doesn't say any
one else offered to to do the same.
Or that anyone else trusted Jesus
this much in that boat. I often wonder
what the other disciples were thinking
at that very moment. I don't know that
I would have acted any different
than them. But, Peter did as Jesus
instructed, and as long as he kept
his eyes ON Jesus, he walked across
the water!! Now that takes a leap of
faith don't you think?
But, what did Peter end up doing?
He looked away. And what happened
when he looked away?
He started to sink. hmmmmm.
So here you have a man who followed
after Jesus, walked with Him and
talked with Him, knew alot about
Jesus Christ. Loved Him (as far as he knew)
with all his heart! And yet, he still
made mistakes. He still reacted in the
flesh on several occasions.
Sound familiar to anyone here?
It does to me.
So, after the Lord's supper,
when Jesus and the disciples
head on up to the mount of olives,
Jesus has informed them that someone
will betray Him this night.
Emotions are running high,
they don't understand what He
really means by that, I'm sure they
are all looking at each other in a
skeptical light, wondering "who" it is.
Jesus tells them you all shall be
offended at me this night.
And guess who jumps up and blurts...
"Though all men shall be offended
because of thee, yet will I never
be offended. "
That's a heavy statement.
And I am very sure that Peter meant it.
With all the emotion he had within himself.
He really thought felt this way about Jesus.
After all, Peter " loved" Him.
But what does Jesus say to him in response?
"Verily I say unto thee, That this night,
before the cock crow, thou shalt
deny me thrice."
THREE times. Not just once mind you
but three times!
Now, here you are, in Peters place.
You love Jesus so very much.
He is the answer to everything you need.
There is nothing in the world that
could be more important to you than Him.
You are proclaiming your love for Him,
and what does He tell you in return.
That you don't mean it?
That He knows better? ackkk
I'm thinkin that would be a hard
one to take, amen?
( Mt 26:35) Peter said unto him,
Though I should die with thee,
yet will I not deny thee.
Likewise also said all the disciples.
I would guess that Peter is very
impressive in his proclamation at
this point. All he can think of
is making Jesus understand that
no matter what, he will be there
for him, even to the point of death!
Have you ever felt that strongly
for anyone? To the point that you
would die for them? Scripture says....
That we might die for a good person,
but not for just anyone, which is what
Jesus did, for all men.
(Romans 5:7... For scarcely for a
righteous man will one die: yet
peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die. )
Okay, so back to the story.
Peter and the others claim that
there is nothing that can come
between their love and dedication
to Jesus. And at this point that
seems so very honorable.
So from there Jesus tells them that
He is going to go into the garden
of Gethsemene to pray alone.
He asks them to keep an eye out while
he is gone for awhile. When Jesus is finished,
He comes back to find what?
The guys are all asleep!
Well, gee, that was shortlived wasn't it?
And the Lord says
"You couldn't even stay away for one hour???"
I'm thinking that I would be really really
embarrassed and wishing I was about 1"
tall at that point.
This tells me, that no matter how good
my intentions are, no matter how I "feel"
about something or someone,
I'm still going to mess up.
Jesus then says to them...
"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter
into temptation. The spirit truly
is ready, but the flesh is weak. "
I can just see Jesus, shaking
His head in disappointment. And yet,
instead of getting really ugly
(which is how I probably would have
responded out of hurt) He gives them
some sound advice out of His love
for them.
Can you see the difference?
In how we would naturally
respond in the flesh and what
Jesus is showing and teaching us here?
There is much to be learned for our good.
That's why I'm so glad He is the
one in control and not me!
Can you imagine? ackkk
We're going to stop here,
I guess I get a little excited
when I get going about the Lord.
My point is, Peter was human.
As are we. We struggle with the
flesh all the time. We fall down.
We say things, thinking they are pure
in motive, led by our "feelings",
only to find many times we can't
back them up. Even when we "want" to.
God gives us knowledge. And He also gives
us the wisdom to put the knowledge to use.
It is however, our choice how we use these
gifts that He gives us freely.
So, this week we are going to
"check our motives" behind our
actions and behind what we think and feel.
Pray about this ferverently.
Ask the Lord to show you what
your true motives are in any
situation you choose to delve
into in your life. I have found
that there are so many different
ones I need to look at, that it is
easier to tackle one at a time.
Otherwise, I tend to want to put
them all on the back burner and
not face any of it.
Ask yourself:
What motivates me to get up in the morning?
What motivates me to treat others they way I do?
What are fuels me to move forward?
And last of all, compare your motives
to your "good intentions" and see how close
they match up.
Who is in control of your life?
And if the answer is Jesus?
Is He in control of ALL of your life?
Or are you holding anything back?
Lord, I pray this week that you open
our hearts and our minds to see what
you would have us deal with. I thank
you for your unconditional love and
your grace towards each and every one of us.
Help us to be willing to be open to your
guidance and direction in all aspects
of our lives. And to give over to you
whatever it is that we might be holding
onto in the flesh. You, who began a work
in us, are faithful to complete it.
In Jesus precious name, we pray.
Amen.
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Love in the Bible, Part Two Now that we have an idea of the differences of what God's love vs. human love means:Let's take a look at what the bible tells us about God's love.
When we first meet someone and become friends. We tend to try to show our "good" side to them first off. We want them to see the good qualities and vise versa right?
With time, we allow them to see the "rest" of us. I guess with time, we think that people will learn to accept our inadequacies, our fears and such things, that they may not accept right off the bat.
Not so with our Lord. He wants us to learn about Him; who He is, everything about Him is an open book. (no pun on words there) He is an open book. For all who will seek Him. And He knows everything there is to know about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
(I think, sometimes we like to try to forget that part, because if there is any sin in our life or behaviour that doesn't go coincide with His, we have to face it, and once that happens, there is turmoil between our flesh and our spirit which doesn't go away until it is dealt with. When you are a child of His.)
So let's take a look at God's character first. 1 John 4: 8 tells us .... (He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.)
2 Corinthians 13:11 tells us again...
¶ Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Jesus talks about the love of God, His love for His only Son in John 15:10...
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Eph 2:4 also speaks of Gods love...
¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
This lifting up from death to a new life is due to God, "rich in mercy", and on account of the "great love wherewith he loved us". #Eph 2:5 affirms the fact. (Peoples NT Commentary)
The book of Ephesians is a great place to really meditate on the love of God. And Ephesians 3:19 gives us the reason God wants us to know and fully understand His love for us.
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
There are stories and examples throughout the bible for our benefit. To learn from, to help us get through each and every day of our lives.
They are real people with real situations, that many of us experience.
In all honesty, I used to read about them and think to myself, well they were "special". "If they were going through the things we go thru today, I wonder how well they would manage." Or.. "but they were much holier than I could ever be..." Things like that. (pretty opinionated and selfish eh?) But, the more time I spent reading, and praying for the Lord to open my eyes to what He wanted me to see, to learn and to understand, I began to really and fully find out that these were ordinary people just like you and I. And that my earlier "thinking" was so wrong.
I mentioned before that altho there are several people that are written about in the bible, that we all have our "favorites" for whatever reasons. Perhaps we identify with the situation, or we find that we have somewhat, the same personality traits....
I have several "favorites" as far as that goes, and I am sure you do too. But my very most favorite of the people of the bible is Simon Peter. He is very real to me. I can relate to him quite well, sometimes too much, sad to say.
Peter was a fisherman. Your average blue collar worker. Worked hard, went to church on a regular basis. Just a "normal" kinda guy.
Along comes Jesus, one day, walks up to Peter and his brother Andrew while they were working and says "follow me, and I will make you fishers of men". The bible says they straightaway left their nets and followed him.
(the first time I read that, I marvelled at that. I mean, what was happening in their minds right then?) But scripture tells us that they were already disciples of John. (John 1:35-42) And John directed them to Jesus. (John 1:29-34) As well as Jesus taught and did most of his miracles in that area.
Peter walked with Jesus during most of His ministry years left on earth. Not just showed up on the sabbath, but lived with Him, ate, slept and heard everything He taught. He saw miracles, one after another. And yet, if you follow Peter from beginning to end you will find that there were many "rough edges" that needed rubbed off so to speak. Many times he spoke before he thought, and responded in the "flesh". And yet, Peter had a good heart. He loved the Lord!
Do you remember when the disciples were in the boat on the water, and they saw Jesus walking towards them "on" the water? They were all afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost, I mean to our natural way of thinking, you KNOW that this is not "normal" much less possible for any "man" (human) to do this.
Peter, bold character that he is, says "Lord if that is you, let me walk out to you" and Jesus says "come here then". It doesn't say any one else offered to to do the same. Or that anyone else trusted Jesus this much in that boat. I often wonder what the other disciples were thinking at that very moment. I don't know that I would have acted any different than them. But, Peter did as Jesus instructed, and as long as he kept his eyes ON Jesus, he walked across the water!! Now that takes a leap of faith don't you think?
But, what did Peter end up doing? He looked away. And what happened when he looked away? He started to sink. hmmmmm.
So here you have a man who followed after Jesus, walked with Him and talked with Him, knew alot about Jesus Christ. Loved Him (as far as he knew) with all his heart! And yet, he still made mistakes. He still reacted in the flesh on several occasions. Sound familiar to anyone here?
It does to me.
So, after the Lord's supper, when Jesus and the disciples head on up to the mount of olives, Jesus has informed them that someone will betray Him this night. Emotions are running high, they don't understand what He really means by that, I'm sure they are all looking at each other in a skeptical light, wondering "who" it is. Jesus tells them you all shall be offended at me this night. And guess who jumps up and blurts... "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. "
That's a heavy statement. And I am very sure that Peter meant it. With all the emotion he had within himself. He really thought felt this way about Jesus. After all, Peter " loved" Him.
But what does Jesus say to him in response? "Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." THREE times. Not just once mind you but three times! Now, here you are, in Peters place. You love Jesus so very much. He is the answer to everything you need. There is nothing in the world that could be more important to you than Him. You are proclaiming your love for Him, and what does He tell you in return. That you don't mean it? That He knows better? ackkk I'm thinkin that would be a hard one to take, amen?
( Mt 26:35) Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
I would guess that Peter is very impressive in his proclamation at this point. All he can think of is making Jesus understand that no matter what, he will be there for him, even to the point of death! Have you ever felt that strongly for anyone? To the point that you would die for them? Scripture says....
That we might die for a good person, but not for just anyone, which is what Jesus did, for all men. (Romans 5:7... For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. )
Okay, so back to the story. Peter and the others claim that there is nothing that can come between their love and dedication to Jesus. And at this point that seems so very honorable. So from there Jesus tells them that He is going to go into the garden of Gethsemene to pray alone. He asks them to keep an eye out while he is gone for awhile. When Jesus is finished, He comes back to find what? The guys are all asleep! Well, gee, that was shortlived wasn't it?
And the Lord says "You couldn't even stay away for one hour???" I'm thinking that I would be really really embarrassed and wishing I was about 1" tall at that point.
This tells me, that no matter how good my intentions are, no matter how I "feel" about something or someone, I'm still going to mess up.
Jesus then says to them... "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. "
I can just see Jesus, shaking His head in disappointment. And yet, instead of getting really ugly (which is how I probably would have responded out of hurt) He gives them some sound advice out of His love for them.
Can you see the difference? In how we would naturally respond in the flesh and what Jesus is showing and teaching us here? There is much to be learned for our good.
That's why I'm so glad He is the one in control and not me! Can you imagine? ackkk
We're going to stop here, I guess I get a little excited when I get going about the Lord.
My point is, Peter was human. As are we. We struggle with the flesh all the time. We fall down. We say things, thinking they are pure in motive, led by our "feelings", only to find many times we can't back them up. Even when we "want" to. God gives us knowledge. And He also gives us the wisdom to put the knowledge to use. It is however, our choice how we use these gifts that He gives us freely.
So, this week we are going to "check our motives" behind our actions and behind what we think and feel.
Pray about this ferverently. Ask the Lord to show you what your true motives are in any situation you choose to delve into in your life. I have found that there are so many different ones I need to look at, that it is easier to tackle one at a time. Otherwise, I tend to want to put them all on the back burner and not face any of it.
Ask yourself: What motivates me to get up in the morning? What motivates me to treat others they way I do? What are fuels me to move forward? And last of all, compare your motives to your "good intentions" and see how close they match up. Who is in control of your life? And if the answer is Jesus? Is He in control of ALL of your life? Or are you holding anything back?
Lord, I pray this week that you open our hearts and our minds to see what you would have us deal with. I thank you for your unconditional love and your grace towards each and every one of us. Help us to be willing to be open to your guidance and direction in all aspects of our lives. And to give over to you whatever it is that we might be holding onto in the flesh. You, who began a work in us, are faithful to complete it. In Jesus precious name, we pray. Amen.
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