~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
July 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
Harry Meredith writes in easy-to-read enthusiastic form. Therefore, I would say that any young girls who love playing football, will likely love taking a look at Leah's journey as spelled out in this book. There are also some 'hand-drawn' illustrations throughout that are interesting.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
July 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
The relationship between Toby and Rachelle keeps them, and incidently the reader, on a teeter-totter of quizzical dynamics. Will they, or will they not, get it together?
A 4-Star rating from me.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
June 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
"He's got the whole world in His hands.He's got the whole world in His hands.He's got the whole world in His hands.He's got the whole world in His hands."
"He's got the wind and the rain in His hands" (x4).
"He's got the tiny little baby,"
"You and me brother,"
"He's got everybody here in His hands."
"These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand..."
"...in His right hand."
He keeps them close and under His watchful, loving eye. He has not forsaken them. He sees what is postitive and also what needs correction. He gives warning and He gives commendation, all for the best outcome.
Any ministry a brother or sister does from the heart for the Lord, is like a star. I think our Jesus keeps such a star in His right hand of strength and care too.
He has The Church and your local church stars in His hand. He cares for you. Can you feel His loving care? Do His rod and staff comfort you? Are you resting, feeding at His table even in the presence of His enemies? (Your enemies are His too, or rather, His enemies are yours). Remember goodness and mercy are doggedly following after you. He reaches for your star(s).
In fact He holds them in His hands.
Create your own next stanza to that song,
"He holds your church/ministry in His hands, He's got the whole ministry in His hands."
Your star is safely in His hands. Just think of that! Give thanks.
~ERC July 2023~
Based on Revelation 1:12-17; 2:1; Psalm 23.
Sing, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, along with the African children choir & Gaither Music.
A man named Paul wrote the book of Romans to the Christians in Rome. He explained what the Gospel of Jesus is. 'Gospel', means 'good news'.
What was the 'good news'? Simply put, when a person has repented of their sins, confessed them to God and accepted Jesus as Savior, trusting Him for their salvation, they have been 'set free' by God from the punishment which would have been meted out for their sins.
We all like to be free to do whatever we want. Some may want to go shopping all day with their friends; go play badminton all day; not have to go to school or work, or have to wash the dishes and so on.
The believer though, has also been set free from guilt. When we do something wrong like lying, slandering or stealing, for instance, our conscience, will hopefully, make us feel very uncomfortable and tell us, "Hey, that's wrong". This is the feeling of guilt. We have free will to be free to do those wrong things but guilt feelings will be the stop signs to let us know we shouldn't be quite so free.
In a court of law the judge will declare a person "Guilty!" and bang his gavel on the table or "Not Guilty!" and still bang it. Whichever, there is finality - a last word, so to speak. If the person is found to be guilty, then the judge metes out punishment to compensate for wrongs done, whether the judged person feels guilty or not.
We all sin, so we are all guilty in God's sight. Therefore, we all need to be punished for our sins. For those who reject Jesus there is the terrifying end in the fires and darkness of Hell, without Christ. Tragic but true.
There is someone who took all our punishment though. It's Jesus. He took all our punishment when He was on the cross. He willingly did this even though He was 100% good and had never, ever sinned. He made it look like HE was guilty instead of us.
Jesus did this because He loved us so, so much. What should we do in response?
We must say, "Yes," to Jesus. Accept Him as Savior while there is still time.
When we do, Jesus forgives us and it's like He bangs His gavel and says,
"NOT GUILTY!"
Read Romans 8:1 NIV.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Look at the word, 'condemnation'. It's a BIG word that means a person has sinned, is quilty and needs to be punished. Think of it something like this.
A big dark ominous storm cloud hovers low in the sky. You see it lurking there for some time and the suspense is killing you as you wait for it to release its deluge. You see it. You know it's coming. You keep looking up at it trying to guess the time and you start 'preparing to combat it' looking for shelter and battening down the hatches as the wind picks up and the drops begin to splash down.
Condemnation is a dark ominous cloud above our heads too. What can be done about it though? One girl in Sunday School said you need an umbrella.
Well, symbolically speaking, she was correct. Our 'umbrella' is Jesus. When we accept Him as Savior, condemnation that tries to fall upon us will be stopped by the protection of the 'Umbrella" - Jesus.
Jesus says, "NOT GUILTY" any longer when we accept Him. We become righteous in God's sight. There is now "NO condemnation".
Yes, we still do wrong. We need to confess this to Jesus who will forgive (see 1 John 1:9). This of course does NOT give liberty to deliberately continue to sin.
You may ask, "Why?" It's because God is holy and cannot tolerate sin. He punishes us, but He also sees us as righteous due to the blood of Jesus Christ which has cleansed us from all sin.
We are often reminded that God hates the sin but not the sinner. In this we can be glad and rejoice. His love has made the guilty sinner free through Jesus Christ and His shed blood.
It was God's love that sent Jesus to do so and to die in our place. He has made us clean if we confess our sins. God accepts us then because He is fully satisfied with His Son Jesus' sacrifice.
This is also why, when our sins are forgiven, God pronounces, "NOT GUILTY!" over us. We are now clothed in righteousness. No matter what we have done, nothing can then separate us from God's love. God is on our side. We say,
"God is for us..."
His love, grace, mercy, salvation protect us.
Let us revel in these facts and that,
"If God be for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31)?
~ERC July 2023~
Based on Kawan Grace Resource P4b, Lesson 10 NOT GUILTY and Romans 8:1, 31.
Sing, There is Therefore NO Condemnation, along with Divine Hymns.
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You saved us by your power and love in action through Jesus. You have accepted our repentance and forgiven us making us righteous in Your sight. Now we trust You to bring us all the way to Your Home in Heaven to be with You there - forever.
We, Your children give you praise and show our grateful thanksgiving through the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup. Thanks be to Jesus who showed us the way through His last supper with His disciples. Jesus sacrifcie has made us whole and His promises endure forever. In Him we put our hope.
Blessed be Your name oh Lord God!
~ERC July 2023~
Sing, Blessed Be the Name, along with Matt Redman.
Learning how to understand people and what 'ticks' they are coming from whether from the environment they grew up in, or even birth order, are factors which can have bearings on how they respond or react to conflicts within the church setting.
Richardson talks very interestingly about what he calls 'fusion,' as well as 'differentiation'. He begins his book with two great respective examples of how two churchs of similar circumstance handled a crisis; one by fusion, the other by differentiation and the very different resulting results.
Leadership of any church could well benefit from having a read. Furthermore, there are questions for the reader's own individual pondering, as well as for group discussions. It is good to note that this book is also from the series about 'Creative Pastoral Care and Counseling'.
May all who read find themselves part of a church that is continuously moving towards greater health and consciously maintaining it. God bless you all.
~ERC July 2023~
A 5-Star rating from me.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
June 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
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The secret of a windmill's power (physics aside) is the wind. The wind, which can't be seen is the driving force power that makes the windmill work. The blades a.k.a wings, of the windmill scoop up the wind and spin.
Originally, this wind energy converted to, shall we say, rotation power, to give pumping power. The Dutch purpose was to ...
"... pump water out of the lowlands back into the rivers ... so farmers could farm the land."*1
Ingenius. I once read about the chap who tried to introduce the use of windmills into Holland. His ideas were at first frustratingly rejected. Obviously, they were eventually found to have merit, so much so, people the world over may believe windmills were invented there and the Dutch have a monoploy on them, which is ok with me. Ha, ha. History, however, actually points to a Greek named Tesibus (285-222 BC) as the ancient inventor. *2
Nevertheless, let's not roam off on a tanget. The point is about the wind energy which is the power source to drive the windmill to kick in and make it work.
Can you see where this is going?
For followers of Jesus Christ, our power comes from God. He is our source of power through the Holy Spirit. We can be reminded of this to count on God's power and not our own as we journey through life.
A friend recently shared this with me. It was her Sunday School lesson that God is our great and almighty God. He is the one who will be coming back to earth as Judge. Every eye will see Him then. They'll see His nail-pierced hands and feet. They'll see His spear-pierced side. They'll mourn because of Him (see Revelation 1:5-8).
He is,
"the Alpha and the Omega ... who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8).
This is our God. This is our Father. We can rely on Him and His dynamic Holy Spirit power to help us do the work He has given us to do for Him.
Work, such as: evangelizing, caring for one another; forgiving even the worst of sins against us; loving as God has loved us. The list could go on but each one knows what we respectively need His power for. By God's grace and mighty power we can fulfil His purposes He has for each of us in our lives moving forward.
He is the Alpha and Omega and the same yesterday, today and forever (see Hebrews 18:8). We can certainly rely on Him!
Let us give Him our thanks and praise as we remember Jesus' death and resurrection in the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup this Lord's Day.
Thank Him for all He has done for you. When you think of Dutch windmills, be reminded of God's power within you and that you can fully rely upon Him. In Jesus' name give Him thanks and fulfil your God-given purpose.
~ERC July 2023~
Based on Revelation 1:4-8 NIV.
Sing, I Sing the Mighty Power of God, along with SE Samonte.
References:
*1 Dutch Windmills/Attractions and Sightseeing in thie Netherlands.
*2 History and Development - Ancient Engineering Technologies - Windmills in the Netherlands
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on Dutch Windmills, nor windmills in general. If I have any erroneous information here please feel free to say and give reference. Thanks.
Take a chair, sit on it, now lift your feet off the floor until your full weight is on the chair. This shows your complete trust in the chair to hold your weight, and that it will not collapse under you. You put your 'faith' in the chair.
Yes, sometimes that chair will bend and bow and break, so it does fall short of how we can put our FULL FAITH in God and His Word.
Open your Bibles to the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Find chapter 11 and verse 7; read it. Out of all the Bible heros of faith in this chapter, Noah is chosen to illustrate how well he placed his faith in God and His Word, which in turn, led to his complete obedience to God.
He was a man of great faith and walked with God. Noah,
"was a righteous man...and he walked with God" (Genesis 6:9).
I like that bit, "he walked with God". This shows companionship, friendship and trust. Do you have this connection with God? He is reliable.
It's fun to imagine the two, God and Noah, going for a walk one day and God revealing to Noah what was going to happen. Noah's eyes may have bugged out with incredulity, "Rain?" "What's that?" "Water falling from the sky?" "Enough to cover the whole earth?!"
"Yes," God calmly replies, "furthermore, you need to build an ark to these specifications and simultaneously preach and tell people what's going to happen -soon - the whole earth is going to be covered in flood waters."
If you have ever experienced tropical rain, you will know what a very heavy downpour really is and how quickly water accumulates. Perhaps, you fight rising water levels in your home every time this happens. So you can well attest to what Noah experienced - or rather, was about to experience, only in his exponentially, phenomenal way - the whole earth would be covered up. Really, how could Noah even begin to comprehend this?!
God told Noah to build an ark and that the animals would come 2 x 2 (unclean animals) and 7 x 7 (for clean animals). Any human being who wished, could also enter. It ended up only eight souls: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their respective wife.
After about 120 years of preaching, how disappointing! No one believed. It's similar in today's world. There has been much preaching of Jesus' second coming but most people turn a deaf ear. They reject the message.
No doubt when the rain started and the flood waters increased, there was hammering and banging on the ark door for Noah to open up and let them in. Tragically, it was too late because it was God who had shut the door. They were too late.
Once Jesus comes back it will be forever too late for all unbelievers to accept Him as Savior. He's coming back as Judge this time.
Well, Noah did believe God that this rain would come even though he'd never seen it fall from the sky before. This is called - faith.
According to the book of James we believers must show our faith by our actions. Noah did just that. He built the ark. What's more, he built it high and dry; that is, away from any water source where he could float his boat.
Who builds a boat (ark) away from the sea, ocean, river or lake? Was there something wrong with Noah's thinking?
NO!
It was Noah's faith in God. This is very important to think about. When we put our faith in God we will show it by doing whatever it is He asks us to do. Noah did just that.
The flood really happened! Noah and his family were preserved, along with the animal kingdom, turning him into quite the conservationist, by the way.
When it was all over, God promised Noah something. It was, as many of you know, that He would never ever flood the whole earth with water again. God's sign of His promise was the rainbow.
That promise to Noah was made about 4000 years ago! We still see rainbows today. There are pockets of floods throughout the earth but never ever is the whole earth flooded in one go. This is God keeping His promise. He is faithful. He is truth. He has proved He can be relied upon. If we place our trust and faith in Him to bring us safely to Heaven before end days come, it is faith well place. Will you trust Him?
Lift your feet up to show full trust if you do.
~ ERC July 2023 ~
Based on Kawan Grace Resource P4b - What is FAITH?; Hebrews 1:4; Genesis 6-9:17.
Sing, By Faith, along with Keith and Kristyn Getty and My Hope is Built.
Reprieve can come from other family members but also from the family of God within the given local church. Care, physically, mentally, emotionally and just as importantly - spiritually. This is what this book's angle addresses.
There are three parts to this instructive book; they are: "What is Spiritual Care?", "Doing Spiritual Care" and "Caring for the Caregiver". Those who care for caregivers will be well helped for reading through this book. Those who haven't thought about needing to care for caregivers may well find a new avenue of ministry, not only for the family of God, but for neighbors (love them as yourself), and friends who find themselves tied to home and in general isolation. Brothers and sisters-in-Christ let us see how we can reach out in the living hope of God to demonstrate our faith with acts of love, grace, mercy and tender loving care. A good place to start could well be reading this book. 😊
The authoress talks about the church community caring but also mentoring: showing by action, "the caught not just taught," practice even engaging children. Praying, listening, caring and visiting and being sure of appropriate words of Scripture and sharing are usually most helpful. Find out what is needed but not by interrogation. Prayer is a major part of the equation. Ask and it shall be given.
Caregivers are encouraged to accept caregiving bestowed upon them. But would-be carers or caregivers need to be sensitive and not pushy. Caregivers be givers as well as receivers in this sense in order to maintain good health care even in the spiritual realm when a person is in crisis especially during extended periods of time.
~ERC July 2023~
5 Stars from me!
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
February 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
That's what it feels like when reading through the New Testament of the Bible, cruising through Paul's epistles, hitting James, 1st & 2nd Peter, 1st, 2nd and 3rd John and on through Jude. Your merry tunes halt as you turn the page to discover Revelation chapter 1.
Uh-oh.
I once had an English teacher in High School who liked to ferret out the Christian students by goading the class to tell whether the book of Revelation was literal or symbolic. Depending on the answer given, usually from a Christian student who was courageous enough to give an answer, Mr. S., the teacher, would then, in his unbelief, twist and turn the student's words until they too were confused. However, that teacher missed out reading Revelation 1:1-3, I think. It's good to memorized them so one can be better prepared to answer a fool according to his folly (see Proverbs 26:4-5).
The apostle John who suffered unbearable torture and treatment on the Isle of Patmos, suffering for his faith, and
"on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 1:9),
tells us what attitude we need when we read Revelation, and how to read this message from God to the seven churches. He wrote,
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near" (Revelation 1:3).
Go ahead, read that verse aloud. As you read aloud, hear what you are reading. Then keep them in your heart.
That phrase 'keep them in your heart' reminds me of Mary the mother of Jesus who kept and pondered the things of Jesus, what she was told about Him, and what He said and did, in her heart. It was like she didn't always understand them but she did consider them, and try to make some sense out of it all. Perhaps, at a later date all the 'puzzle pieces' came together and completed the picture for her (see Luke 2:19).
The verse actually says that Mary "treasured" them in her heart (NIV). Her heart was a treasure chest. This is what we can do as we read aloud throughout the book of Revelation. Treasure the words and as verse 3 also states, the person is "blessed".
You will be blessed. 'Blessed,' according to Oxford Languages Online Dictionary, means,
"made holy" or "consecrated," or even "endowed with divine favor and protection".
Further to this, it says, 'blessed' means
"bringing pleasure or relief as a welcome to what one has previously experienced".We can all use some sanctifying measures; right?
So after reading Jude and you've halted at the stop sign, "Revelation," you will be in for a treat or would it be, a run for your money, so to speak? There is a huge precipice there beyond the sign so don your para-gliding wings and make that leap.
'Sail' through and find the blessing of reading Revelation aloud, pondering and treasuring the word of God in your heart. Let's put the puzzle piece pondering together, together.
~ERC July 2023~
Based on Revelation 1:1-3 NIV.
Sing, Revelation Song, along with Kari Jobe.
Those idols we chase cannot ever compare to You oh Lord God. Old shoes and broken down toys can be thrown out, new ones bought, only to be run down again. You never grow old. You never change. You are always and forever the same - superior to all.
You are infinite times superior - better than any other religion or god. Whether it's the gods of other religions or idols we set up, other than You, in our hearts, You are still superior, even when we don't acknolwedge You.
Angels are wonderfully fascinating creatures Lord. Some people even worship them. However, they are only creatures - created beings as You are their Creator! Therefore, You are superior to them.
The prophets of old were great and godly men who were mostly obedient to You and feared You. They spoke your messages of warning, terror-to-come, repentance and more, even at detriment to themselves. Honorable and noble men, yet, You created them too. Jesus, You are still superior to them.
Old Testament (OT) heroes were amazing chaps who did what they did in God Your Father's name. Moses, leading the children of Israel through the desert for 40 years was no walk in the park! The story of David the then shepherd boy, rescuing his people with one small, smooth stone, against the arrogant giant Goliath, has been told and retold for thousands of years already. These men too, were created by you Lord. They are not to be worshipped. You are! This is because Jesus, You are Superior to all.
The high priests of Israel's worship were in a high position to mediate between Your Father, God and men. This too was such a solemnly responsible task set before them. Some of them were very disciplined, God-fearing men, yet they were human beings whom You, their Creator made in His image, yes, but still creatures of Your handiwork. Jesus, You are superior to them.
Worship in Old Testament times was good because Your Father instituted it. Yet time and again the people had to sacrifice many animals for the forgiveness of their sins.
BUT JESUS ... Jesus, You were the perfect and final sacrifice, once for all time, for all people, for all sins. Your work is complete, perfect, and final unlike the OT sacrifices, which needed to be repeated yearly and therefore incomplete. Indeed, Lord Jesus, You are superior to all.
We must live aright with this knowledge, putting it into practice so it is not just a wonderful theory we think about.
NO. To know You are superior to all, Lord Jesus, can give us spiritual spine and growth. When difficulties in life come, we can rely on You, focus on You and not on the difficulties. We can expand and stretch our faith, the faith that depends on You, from start to finish.
You are superior to all and as we're told in Hebrews 13:8,
"Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Jesus, You are forever superior to all. I give you my offering of praise and commitment to You. I may falter and fail but I wish to pledge my allegiance to You, the God of gods and Lord of lords. I wish to have no other gods before you. I say this in your superior name Lord Jesus.
And so we remember You in Your death and resurrection, that power to save, as we reach for the bread and wine. We give you our thanks and praise. By faith we look up to you Lord Jesus, our Superior One, and worship You alone for You are better than any other! In You alone, we can put our trust.
~ERC June 2023~
Based on Kawan Grace Resource P4b, Lesson 8 - Jesus Is Superior to All, Hebrews 1-2; esp Hebrews 1:1-4 and 8:13.
Sing, Jesus Is Better, along with Austin Stone.
One of my friends sent me a short clip of one marching band tootling, of course, the national anthem, "O Canada". It stirred the heart.
It is not an easy feat, I should think, to play ones' instrument, keeping the beat, and marching in-step simultaneously without misstep. Lots of practice needed. If there is misstep the experienced marcher quickly re-aligns themself, and marches on, playing to beat the band.
'In-step' is the key word. Scripture asks us to "keep in step", or "to be led by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16-18; see also Romans 8). I visualize myself marching alongside the Holy Spirit, as if in a marching band. Now I'm not very co-ordinated, so there are many mis-steps. However, when we read 2nd and 3rd John, we see the encouragement to show our faith by obedience to God's commands. We can march to the 'tune' of God's Word by obeying it as the Holy Spirit teaches us. This shows our faith in action.
The book of James admonishes to show our faith by our works. First John motivates us to show our faith by loving our brothers and sisters-in-Christ. A further step in 2nd John, is to demonstrate our faith by obeying God's commands.
Our Helper is the Holy Spirit. The early Christians were excellent at keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. We can learn from them. Read through the book of Acts for oodles of examples of how the Holy Spirit led the believers and how the believers 'kept in step'. They were able to do many mighty acts while proclaiming the salvation message through Jesus.
Third John gives us another great example in the form of Gaius. After reading 3rd John, one can deduce Gaius to be a man of truth, a godly man and a serious spiritual leader with a heart for hospitaltity, caring for brothers-in-Christ of likemind who also wished to speak the truth of the gospel and who put Jesus first.
Diotrephes had been opposed to these brothers and wouldn't allow them into the assembly of believers. He would rather malign the truth than to listen to truth these visiting men of God spoke. He did not wish to show brotherly love as his faith had gotten cast aside opting to bring himself praise.
By contrast, Gaius had faith and wished to show it by obeying God's Word, keeping the truth of God's Word and showing the love of God to the visiting brothers. He wished to show his faith by his actions, which included loving these brothers by offering hospitality, thereby validating their message as truth.
The last sentence of 3 John, from verse 15 reads,
"Greet the friends, each by name."
I really like that. It suggests a close bond among the brothers and sisters-in-Christ, close enough to know each others' names. It wasn't a polite smile and "Hi" and "Bye, see ya next week". No, it was a caring enough to stop and converse and speak each others' names. They were not just "siblings-in-Christ" but also 'friends'.
A long time ago I heard one preacher say that when we even know the names of our church members' pets, then, ah, we have that bond that shows, not just the agape love of Christ between believers but there is also 'philo' love - friends.
To me, this is full circle, loving your brethren so that we can demonstsrate God's love in action and so authenticate the faith in Christ we purport to have. This is keeping in step and being led by the Holy Spirit of God.
Let's march to His tune and celebrate.
~ERC July 2023~
Based on 2nd and 3rd John (NIV).
Sing, The Love of God is Greater Far, along with the 'bibleguy' and choir.
Photo and Video Credits to friend LMR.
Hannah sure took Jonathan for a spin! Most people love a wholesome story so I feel confident most readers will enthuse over this one. Very enjoyable and satisfying read.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
June 2023
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimetnary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
I feel that this book is written in a very caring, tender manner and will definitely be healing salve for hurting hearts. There are ideas for coping, such as with emotions, self-care and helping others. There's a list of additional resources that could be of help for those caught in traumas and their fallout.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/ Blogger~
November 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the Publisher.
Read review on Goodreads.
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"Just found out the company that produces yardsticks won't be making them any longer."
Hmmm. Think on that a sec or two. Ha, ha. No doubt you 'get it'.
I'll take the more serious measure here. It's imperative to have a standard that is inalterable for things that count, especially when it relates to things of God.
For instance, God's love; it never changes. His love is the same yesterday, today and forever because He is LOVE (see Hebrews 13:8 and 1 John 4:8).
"We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
God's love is unfailing and unfailingly takes action. His love standard is that He sent Jesus to demonstrate what His love is like - so we would know.
"Jesus Christ laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). [emphasis mine]
In the book of James we read that faith and works or actions work together. The actions show the faith is real. Faith and love work similarly in tandem.
Since God has shown His children what love will do and has been done, on our behalf, God expects His children to follow suit. After all, we call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. We need to follow. So...
"We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).
Loving our brothers and sisters-in-Christ is a family trait. The measure of this love is to go those extra miles even to the point of laying down our lives for the brethren and 'sistern'.
"...for love comes from God" (1 John 4:7).
This is our standard trait: faith plus love.
Think of the first believers and all our brothers and sisters since who were persecuted for their faith, showing love one for another and also for the unsaved. In the book of Acts we see the believers sold their possessions to help care for the poor and had all things in common (see Acts 2:42-47). The various churches, as seen in Paul's letters, gave monetary help to those in Jerusalem and elsewhere even out of their own lack. They were also encouraged to be sure to clothe and feed those hungry and without proper apparel and not to just greet them offhandedly, "be warmed and fed" and then go off on their merry way without doing anything to help them be warmed and fed (Acts 21:1-19; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:8-15; 9:12-13).
Additionally, in present times I know of a sister who broke her arm and it was not healing properly. She endured about six months of extreme pain and immobility. Brothers and sisters from her church made sure she and her hubby were well fed when her own children were unable to help out. Some even came to clean house.
Another story I know of that demonstrated the love via the body of Christ was one family whose baby had suddenly been diagnosed with leukemia. They had to take their wee daughter to another major city for treatment. They did not know many people there. But, somehow the connections of God's family, brothers and sisters, showed up, as if out of the woodwork, giving accommodation, donating blood, food, transport, saying prayers and so on. It totally amazed and warmed the aching hearts of the baby's parents. This was true love of God in action between brothers and sisters-in-Christ. Praise be to the One who died for us!
Reading this book of 1 John and feeling his tone of love, kindness and encouragement despite admonishment, we can see John putting his talk into walk. An aura of God's love permeates his letter.
As John talks of being eyewitnesses (see 1 John 1:1-4), of having seen, heard and to have touched Jesus as He trod this earth, it is all this that he and the other apostles have been proclaiming. Nothing more, nothing less; they did not alter the truth.
He further states that the
"anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth" (1 John 2:20)
is what should remain in them. It is the same message of love and truth, that they
"had from the beginning" (1 John 2:24).
This should remain in them. They should not be derailed by false teachers. This yardstick of God's love and care needs to be shown out to the brothers and sisters-in-Christ. This is how others will know they are of and from God. The Holy Ones'
"anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain in Him" (1 John 2:27).
They did not need others to teach them anything different. They needed to continue on in the love of God. Faith and works going hand-in-hand with faith and the love of God together; this is how they, and we too, know we belong to the family of God.
"Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7).
As we remember God's supreme act of love this Lord's Day, that act of Jesus laying down His life for us; ponder well on this family trait of LOVE. Do you have it?
Do what it takes to show this love in action to all our brothers and sisters-in-Christ. God's love is unselfish and goes out of the way to give.
Pass and partake of the broken bread and drink from the cup of wine in remembrance of Jesus' act of love. Let us each realize and understand what Jesus the Son of God has given. Know Him. Know His action of love. Learn from Him.
Then we can put His love into action too. Let all men know you are of God as you are His child who inherited the family trait of LOVE. Let it show.
~ ERC July 2023 ~
Based on 1 John.
Sing, Behold What Manner of Love, along with Maranatha Singers.
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