Walking with Jesus

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." ~ I John 1:5-7

I love walking with my Lord Jesus each day, listening to him speak his words to my heart, and following him wherever he leads me. He truly has become my dearest friend. I love how he talks to me even when I am not formally addressing him in prayer. He knows what I am thinking and oftentimes he will answer me before I even voice my request to him. I will hear a song or a scripture in my mind and realize that he is already talking to me about what I was thinking.

There is nothing more wonderful than walking in his love, in his grace, in his righteousness and holiness, and in obedience to his commands. To know that I am in the center of his will, and that I am doing exactly what he has called me to do, brings such peace and joy to my heart. As well, to know that he is using me in the lives of others, even ones I do not know and cannot see, to bring them his words, and to know that his words are blessing and ministering to their hearts, brings me much joy.

Walking with Jesus / An Original Work / May 4, 2011

When you walk with Jesus only,

And you spend your days with Him,

He becomes your dearest friend,

And your desire’s to be with Him.

Sitting with him at his table,

As He breaks the bread with you,

Oh, what sweet and blessed communion,

As He comes and sups with you.

Living for Him, oh, what glory,

Walking daily in His truth;

Leading others to adore Him

Is what He desires of you.

https://vimeo.com/119505222

The God of All Comfort

Monday, May 25, 2015, 8:35 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “He Lifted Our Burdens.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 (ESV).

To Comfort Those

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

When you think of the word “comfort,” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I think of someone putting his arms around me and holding me and telling me everything is going to be ok because he is there for me and he won’t leave me or forsake me, but that everything is under his control, and so I don’t need to be afraid. I am speaking of my Lord. Yet, when we look at the Greek word “paraklésis,” which is translated “comfort,” we learn that this word is not just about making us feel better. It also means exhortation, entreaty, encouragement, strengthening, warning, counsel and urging; or a "’holy urging’ used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out His plan, delivering His particular message to someone else” - http://biblehub.com/greek/3874.htm.

So, could we make a case for incorporating all of these possible meanings of this word “comfort” in this context? I believe we can. And, it fits with other scriptures, too, for as we read other scriptures about afflictions and sufferings we learn that they are intended by God in our lives for our good (See: Ro. 5:3-5; Phil. 3:7-11; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; 4:12-17; 1 Thess. 3:1-5; Jas. 1:2-4; Matt. 5:10-12; Lu. 21:12-19; 2 Co. 1:3-11). They produce within us endurance, character and hope. As I share in the sufferings of Christ, I am becoming like him in his death. When we are insulted for the name of Christ, we are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us. We are destined to suffer affliction for the sake of the name of Jesus and for the sake of his gospel. Suffering is beneficial in our lives in moving us to maturity. When we are persecuted, it will be our opportunity to bear witness for the name of Jesus. As well, when we are afflicted and are comforted by God, it is also so we may comfort others who are going through similar trials, and it is so we learn not to rely upon ourselves, but on God for our all-sufficiency.

So, if God has allowed a particular hardship or affliction in our lives to mature us, to strengthen us in the faith, to motivate us to particular action, to get us to repent of sin, to revive us, to teach us endurance, and/or so we learn to not rely on our own strength but on the strength and wisdom of the Lord, then it makes sense that his “comfort” may involve counsel, exhortation, urging and/or warning, too.

If we have given way to sin and/or have wandered from our pure devotion to our Lord, and if he disciplines us for our good, then he is probably not going to console us, but will instead urge and exhort us to leave our sin and to follow him in obedience and in surrender. Too many people are putting Band-Aids over serious sin wounds, and they think they are doing the right thing by making people feel better about themselves, but that is not kind and it is not loving, and true comfort is both loving and kind. It considers not just the feelings of someone but their true needs, and it gives of oneself to help meet those needs, regardless of how one is treated in return.

It is wonderful to be comforted (consoled), such as I mentioned in my first thoughts concerning comfort, yet if I was going the wrong direction, or I got off target, or if God was speaking to me but I just wasn’t getting it, and so I wasn’t doing what he was telling me, I would not want God or anyone else to just console me, i.e. to just hold me and tell me everything is going to be ok. I love to be consoled, don’t get me wrong! But, I don’t want consolation if what I really need is strong encouragement, urging, warning or counsel of some kind to point me in the right direction. It would not be true comfort to me, in other words, if someone is telling me everything is ok when it isn’t. I may need some counsel, instead, or someone to urge me to go in the right direction. And, that would be true comfort, because it would help me with my situation rather than just help me feel better temporarily, but with no real resolve.

The same applies if I am suffering for righteousness’ sake. I may need someone to come along side me to encourage me to persevere in the faith and to not give up, or to give me a word of hope from God’s word as they are led by the Holy Spirit to do so. I may need to be reminded of truths from God’s word that I have temporarily forgotten due to the extent of my suffering, especially if I am really tired or if Satan is severely attacking me. I may need to be reminded, too, of God’s absolute sovereignty over all things, or I may need to be strongly encouraged that I need to trust God and not doubt and to not give way to fear. I may need reminded of the fact that I am not alone in this when I begin to feel alone, and that I need to put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against me. Whatever the case may be, or whatever our suffering may entail, we must know that “comfort” involves so much more than just consolation, but it meets us right where we need it most and provides what is essential for us to do what is required to be strengthened in our faith so that we can endure and so we can persevere and not give up.

To Make us Rely on God

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Afflictions and sufferings, including persecutions, come for many reasons, and they come in various degrees of severity, too. Trials are trials, though, no matter the severity. Some come against us physically, others mentally, still others emotionally and some spiritually, though all have the potential to affect us spiritually. Most of the persecution Jesus suffered from his opposition was in the form of verbal attacks against his character and against his deeds, his beliefs and the words that he spoke. His persecutors were relentless in their verbal attacks and in their attempts to try to trap him and/or to discredit him. When that didn’t work, they plotted to take his life, and they did crucify him on a cross.

So, just because someone is not being beaten or tortured, or just because he and his family are not being incarcerated or threatened with the taking of their lives, it does not mean that person is not being persecuted or that what they are going through pales by comparison. When we look at the persecution of Jesus, we have to look at his entire ministry and not just at what happened the day he was arrested and the day that he was put to death. Although Paul did face many beatings and imprisonments, he also faced much verbal abuse, false accusations, rejections, and much hatred and criticism from his opponents. Sometimes verbal abuse, in the form of verbal attacks, false accusations, mockery, and rejections can burden one beyond his own strength to endure and can lead to despair to where the person may not want to keep living, not that he or she would consider taking his own life, but that he would wish the Lord Jesus would just take him home, feeling as though he or she could not possibly go on.  

Yet, God allows these times in our lives to teach us not to rely on our own strength, but on the strength of the Lord; to not rely on our own resources, but on his all-sufficiency to meet our every need. It was Paul who said that when he was weak he was strong, because Christ’s strength was being perfected in his weakness. When we come to the place where we realize we are without resources and that there is nothing absolutely that we can do to keep going, in ourselves, and when we cry out to God to give us strength and endurance, he works miracles in our lives because we are not fighting against him, but we are yielded to his control over our lives and are surrendered to his will and to his work of grace in our lives in conforming us into the image of Christ. He will not always deliver us from our difficulties, but he will see us through them if we put our trust in him and not in ourselves.

Knowing that all who are truly following Jesus Christ with their lives will be persecuted in one way or another for their faith and for their testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel of salvation, no matter where in the world they live, we should remember to pray for one another always. We should not confine our prayers merely to pray for those we know are being physically tortured, imprisoned and who face daily the real threat of death, but we should pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world who are being persecuted for their faith and testimonies for Jesus Christ, because they stand on the Word of God, and do not deny the name of Jesus, and because they teach and live the true gospel of salvation, i.e. because they practice and teach that we must die with Christ to sin and self and we must be resurrected with Christ to living in Christ’s righteousness and holiness if we want to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in glory, for that is true faith.

He Lifted Our Burdens / An Original Work / February 15, 2014

Based off Isaiah 9:2-7

People walk in darkness.

They abide in their sin.

It has power o’er them.

True belief escapes them.

Jesus Christ came to save them.

He gave His life up for them;

Crucified; died for our sin,

So we might be forgiven,

And have life up in heaven.

Many come to know Him.

God’s love now o’erflows them.

They rejoice in vict’ry.

Their sin is but hist’ry.

We were once bound in slav’ry.

Jesus lifted our burdens;

Set us now free from Satan,

So we now walk in freedom.

Sin has no more dominion.

Praise be to our Savior!

He showed us His favor.

He took all our burdens;

Cast them all upon Him.

He is our mediator;

The Light which shines in darkness.

Counselor in our troubles;

He gives peace now in our hearts;

Joy which is everlasting.

https://vimeo.com/86854416

The Letters

Some of us, who call ourselves Christians today, may identify with one of these seven churches in Revelation more than another. Some of us may be ones who do a lot of the right things but we have forsaken our Lord because we are operating from the flesh and not from the Spirit of God. We may have a lot of things right, but we have not truly submitted our lives to our Lord Jesus Christ to walk in his Spirit and to deny our flesh. Others of us may be part of a church group where we know the leaders are teaching a false gospel, which gives people a license to participate in immorality, and yet we say nothing and do nothing, so by our silence we stand in agreement with the false hope they are giving to people and in agreement with them leading people into sin and to deny their Lord.

Some of us may give the appearance of righteousness, but really inside we are spiritually about to die or we are already dead, so what we present on the outside is just a façade. And, then some of us may be among those who are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives, and who are giving out the gospel of Jesus Christ so that others may know Christ in his fullness. We are among those who are being persecuted, accused falsely, gossiped about, rejected, mocked, criticized and perhaps even killed for our faith in Christ. These letters were written to encourage, to give hope, to exhort and to warn us, as well as to call many to repentance and to renewed faith and testimony for Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Letters / An Original Work / December 17, 2013

Based off Revelation 2-3

To the angels of all the churches write:

These are the words of your Lord and your God.

I know all your deeds, and your witness, too,

And who holds to My words and tells what’s true.

I know all your hard work and your perseverance,

Yet I hold against you: you’ve forsaken Me.

Listen to what I say to you.

You have people there who deny My name,

And who put the cross of Christ up to shame.

They entice the people to Me, profane,

And their worship of Me is all in vain.

They are so adult’rous as they chase their idols,

And you put up with them easily enough.

Listen to what I say to you.

You give off an image of godliness,

But what you present is so fraudulent,

Or else you lack passion for Jesus Christ,

So you look to others to tell what’s right.

I say turn from your sin, or you will face judgment.

He who overcomes will have eternal life.

Listen to what I say to you.

I know your afflictions and poverty;

How you suffer for your Lord patiently.

Do not fear the devil and company.

You be faithful to your Lord endlessly.

I know all your weakness and your dedication.

You have kept My Word and not denied your Lord.

I will write on you My new name.

https://vimeo.com/114655138

Hallelujah!

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns." ~ Revelation 19:6

This is a song of praise of our Lord Jesus Christ! We praise him for coming to earth, for taking on human flesh, for suffering as we suffer so that he could become our faithful and compassionate high priest, and for dying on the cross for our sins so that we could be free (saved from the penalty and control of sin), and free to walk daily in his holiness and righteousness. Amen! And we praise him, as well, that he is coming again one day to receive us as his bride, made holy for her wedding to her husband, Jesus Christ!

Hallelujah / An Original Work / May 3, 2011

Hallelujah, hallelujah!

He is coming, hallelujah!

He’s our Lord God

And we love Him

For He saved us from our sin.

He is with us, hallelujah,

And He loves us, hallelujah!

We adore Him;

Give our worship

To our Lord God, King of kings.

He’s our Savior, hallelujah!

He provided our redemption;

Paid our ransom;

We’re forgiven;

In His death He bore our sin.

He is risen, hallelujah!

Conquered death, hell, sin, in vict’ry;

Sent His Spirit;

Lives within us;

Cleansed and purified within.

He is coming, hallelujah,

To receive us, hallelujah,

As His pure bride

For our wedding

To our Lord God, priest and King!

Live in vict’ry, hallelujah,

For He freed you, hallelujah,

To obey Him;

Turn from your sin;

Walk in fellowship with Him.

https://vimeo.com/113438723

So Unworthy

Saturday, May 23, 2015, 9:30 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “He Reached Down.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (ESV).

A Gentle Reminder (vv. 1a, 3-7)

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you…

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Paul said he would remind the church in Corinth of the gospel he preached to them. What is that gospel? First of all, it is that God the Father sent his only begotten Son to earth to die for the sins of the entire world so that, through faith in Jesus Christ, we could be saved. Jesus Christ, God the Son, took on human form, lived on the earth as fully God (God incarnate), yet as fully man. He went about doing good, healing the sick and afflicted, comforting the sorrowful, delivering people from demons, raising the dead, and preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. He told the people that if they wanted to come after him they must deny self, take up their cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives of sin we will lose them for eternity, but if we die (with Christ) to our old lives, we will gain eternal life. He also said that his sheep (his followers) listen to him, he knows them, and they follow (obey) him.

Jesus Christ, when he walked the face of this earth, was loved and admired by some or many people who followed him, but he also had people who hated him and who rejected him. Among those who hated him, many of those were in positions of leadership within the Jewish faith – within the temple. In fact, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were some of his strongest and fiercest opponents. They hounded him continuously, always trying to find a way to trap him and/or to discredit him so that the people would not listen to him.

His popularity among the people served as a serious threat to the religious leaders and to their positions of power and authority among the people, so they were jealous of Jesus, and they plotted to take his life. They hated him, too, because he told them that what they did was evil, and that they were only clean on the outside, but not on the inside. As well, they despised him because he did not follow all their man-made rules and regulations, and he healed people on the Sabbath, yet they rescued sheep and circumcised on the Sabbath, so their objections were hypocritical and not valid. And, they hated him, too, because he claimed to be God, which is who he is – God the Son.

They hated him so much, in fact, that they had him crucified on a cross, although he had done no wrong. Jesus, although tempted to sin, and in like manner as what we are tempted, never sinned. So, he was able to be our spotless sacrificial Lamb given for the sins of the entire world. When he died, he took on himself the sins of the entire world (past, present and future). When he died, our sins died with him. They were buried with him. When he was resurrected from the dead, he conquered sin, death, hell and Satan on our behalf. He did this, not just so we could escape the punishment of sin (eternal damnation), and not just so we could have the promise of heaven when we die. He died so we might die with him to sin. He was resurrected so we might be resurrected to new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and so we might live to righteousness, no longer walking after the flesh, but now walking after the Spirit; no longer living to gratify the sinful cravings of our flesh, but living to please God in all we do – all in the power and working of the Spirit within us.

This is the gospel that Paul and the other apostles preached. They preached that we must repent of (turn from) our sins and turn to God in surrender to his will for our lives. They taught what Jesus taught, which is that coming to Christ means forsaking our former lives of living for sin and self, being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and putting on our new lives in Christ, “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24). They taught that belief in Jesus means that we die with Christ to our old lives of sin, and that we are resurrected with him to new life in him; that being set free from sin means we become slaves of righteousness; and that Jesus condemned sin in sinful humans “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (See: Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

If You Hold Fast (vv. 1b-2)

“…which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

Paul said he wanted to remind them of the gospel he preached to them, which they had received, and on which they were standing, and by which they were being saved (present-continuous), IF they held fast to the word Paul preached to them, unless they had believed in vain. So, what is this saying? First off, we need to know the word Paul preached to them, some of which was shared in this previous section in this writing. Although he clearly taught that we are saved by God’s grace, through faith, and not of our own works, lest we should boast, he also taught that true faith is present-continuous, repentant, and submissive to God. Paul, John, Peter and James all taught that faith in Jesus Christ means death to sin and living to righteousness, which is the working of the Spirit of God in our lives, and not something we can do in our own flesh, but we must cooperate with the Spirit’s work.

Secondly, we must know and understand that scripture teaches that we are saved or have been saved (past), we are being saved (present-continuous), and we will be saved (future – when Christ returns). As well, scripture teaches that the kind of belief in Jesus Christ which is saving faith is present-continuous. If we examine the Greek verb tense for “believe” in so many scriptures, with regard to believing for salvation, the word is actually “believing,” which is present-continuous. In other words, we are not saved (past), we then live our lives, and one day we go to heaven. Eternal life is only guaranteed for those “believing” in Jesus Christ. It is only guaranteed for the repentant and the obedient. This is not works-based salvation. This is what scripture teaches. It speaks, not of being in and out of relationship with God every time we sin, but rather it speaks to the issue of lifestyle, i.e. are we walking in the Spirit, or are we still living our lives to please our flesh?

Thirdly, it appears here that it is possible to believe in vain (to have unproductive; worthless faith). What this says to me, based upon what I know of the teachings of scripture, is that it is possible to have surface-only faith which never produced new birth in the Spirit, because it was not based in the truth, but a lie, and so the “believer” never repented of sin, never submitted to the cross of Christ, and thus was never truly crucified or resurrected with Christ. He never experienced death to sin and living to righteousness in the power of the Spirit. So, he remained lost. And, yet I also see from what I know of scripture that it is possible to believe in Christ, but at some point to stop believing (to not continue in Christ), and to even reject Christ. This person will not be saved. So, make sure today that you are believing in Jesus and that you are holding fast to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, otherwise it is highly possible that you may be among those who have believed in vain.

Unworthy to be Called (vv. 8-11)

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

After Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, before he ascended back to the Father, he appeared to many people. I don’t believe Paul was among those Jesus appeared to before Jesus went back to the Father. I believe Paul here is referring to Jesus visiting him in a vision on the road to Damascus, where Paul was headed to persecute and arrest Christians. Jesus asked Paul (Saul) why he was persecuting him. Jesus had ascended to the Father, so how was Paul persecuting Jesus? He was doing it through his persecution of Christ’s followers, his body, his church. It was just as though Saul (Paul) was persecuting Christ Jesus. And, the same is true today for those who would persecute the Lord’s servants and witnesses. We are his body, so how we treat his body is how we treat Jesus.

Even though Paul had been a persecutor and a murderer of Christians, Jesus wanted to transform his life and to use him to bring the gospel of salvation to Jew and to Gentile alike. He was to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). This is the essence of the gospel. Jesus died so we could turn from sin to faith in him, who is the Light, and so we could be delivered from the power of Satan and could be free to walk in Christ’s holiness.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).

None of us deserve God’s great salvation. We can do nothing to earn it or to deserve it. It is a free gift given to us by God via Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, and via his resurrection from the dead in conquering sin and Satan on our behalf. Nonetheless, it is a gift we must receive by faith, and that faith means we die to sin and live to righteousness – all in the power and working of the Spirit within us. It means we no longer walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue to walk in darkness (sin, wickedness), then we are liars (See: 1 Jn. 1).

Yet, he didn’t choose us because of our own righteousness, for our righteousness is like filthy rags in his sight. He died for us while we were still sinners. He loved us even though we were so unworthy of his love and grace. But, he didn’t die so we would continue to live sinful lifestyles. He died to set us free from our slavery to sin and to make us slaves to righteousness (See: Ro. 6). Amen! I am so thankful for his grace to me, his patience with me, and his wonderful mercy in forgiving me of all my sins, and for choosing to use me for his glory, even though I was so unworthy.

He Reached Down / An Original Work / February 3, 2014

Based off Psalm 18

How I love You, Lord,

My Rock and my strength.

My God is my fortress;

I hide in Him.

He is my shield and the horn of

My salvation, whom I praise.

I have found my refuge in Him.

He reached down from heaven

And rescued me;

Drew me out of waters

So deep, I’d sink.

He delivered me from Satan

And my slavery to sin;

Gave me hope of heaven with Him.

My God turned my darkness

Into His light;

Opened up my blinded eyes;

Gave me sight.

As for God, his way is perfect.

He gives strength to stand secure.

I have found my vict’ry in Him.

My Lord lives!

Praise be to my Savior God,

Jesus Christ, who died

On a cruel cross.

He is my Rock and the source

Of my salvation, whom I trust.

I will give praise always to Him.

https://vimeo.com/86346545

Songs in the Night

As I was writing the words to this song, as the Lord Jesus was giving them to me, I was picturing in my mind the persecuted church throughout the world either in prison or in hiding, singing songs of praise to their God for his great salvation. I pictured that the night truly symbolized a time of great trouble and hardship to come upon the church, and so the church was lifting holy hands in prayer and in praise to their Lord despite their difficult circumstances. I also pictured that among them were new believers in Jesus Christ who were freshly praising their Lord for their newfound freedom in Christ. Oh, how glorious!

Songs in the Night / An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,

And the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/112342407

Love Is

Saturday, May 23, 2015, 4:54 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Full Release.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 13 (NASB).

A Noisy Gong

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

The Greek word for love, in this context, is agape, which “centers in moral preference” and “typically refers to divine love (= what God prefers)” - http://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm. Agape love is self-sacrificial. It is God-like love. “Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself.” “Sacrificial love is not based on a feeling, but a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own.” “This is the love which ‘has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us’ when we became His children (Romans 5:5)” - http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html.

So, in order for us to have this kind of love, one for another, we must first of all be in intimate relationship with the one who is love, through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son. We must be crucified with Christ, by the Spirit of God, via death to sin, and be resurrected with Christ, by the Spirit, to new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 2:20; Ro. 6-8). This begins when we accept God’s invitation to his great salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, yet it is also a daily process of dying to sin and self and of following our Lord Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives (See: Lu. 9:23-25; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:3-14). To love others in this way, thus, we must be indwelt by and surrendered to the ONE who IS LOVE.

It seems to me, if we are truly operating in the power of the Spirit of God in the exercise of the spiritual gifts given us by the Spirit of God, that the love of God would naturally flow through us to others. Yet, that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Perhaps this is not speaking of times when we are empowered by the Spirit in the exercise of these gifts, but of times when we operate in the flesh and do not yield control to the Spirit. Yet, what is clear is that we can have wonderful gifts of the Spirit of God and still not exercise the love of God toward others in the execution of those gifts, or apart from the implementation of those gifts, and thus the carrying out of such gifts ends up just being a bunch of noise.

Yet, this all goes back to the definition of “agape” love, for some people might think we are NOT being loving when we confront sin, call for repentance, expose lies and false gospels, and warn of judgment and of the dangers of a false faith, based in a lie, which gives people false hope. As well, some of them may think they ARE being loving by diluting the gospel, telling people what they want to hear, saying only pleasant things which tickle itching ears, and/or by avoiding speaking the truth in love so as not to “offend” people with the truth of the gospel. Lies are never kind, and they definitely are not loving. In the same respect, truth can be told in ways which are unkind and unloving, so we must submit ourselves to the control of the Spirit of God and allow the love of God to flow through us in all that we do, and resist the temptation to give in to the flesh.

Agape love is self-sacrificial. It gives of itself to meet the legitimate needs of others, and will lay down its life so others can go free, even if it means we are hated in return.

Love Is Unselfish

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Agape love is patient (long-suffering). It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t give up on people, even though they may be difficult or even hurtful towards us. We persevere in loving them. Love is kind. It is thoughtful and demonstrates a desire to help others. Yet, again, telling people lies just to make them feel good is never kind. Speaking the truth in love is kind, because it cares more about what the other person really needs than it cares about itself. Love is not jealous (or envious). This word translated as “jealous” can be used in both a positive and a negative context. So, jealously is not always bad or unloving, in other words. We can be jealous for others with a godly jealousy, wishing to see them forsake their idolatry (adultery) and to return to their “first love” (See: 2 Co. 11:1-4). Envy, on the other hand, is bad, for it incorporates such terms as “greed, bitterness, resentment, spite, and hatred” etc.

Love does not brag (boast), it is not arrogant (proud). I think those speak for themselves. Love does not act unbecomingly. In some translations this is translated to say that love is not rude (impolite). Yet, rudeness can be defined by the culture in which we live and/or by tradition, and it may or may not agree with what scripture teaches. In some cultures it is polite to lie to people, but lying is sinful. In some cultures it is impolite to speak the truth in love, yet that is what scripture teaches us we must do. The gospel of our salvation is an offense to those who are perishing, and so the world (or worldly church) may consider us as being rude (impolite) because we preach the gospel, because it offends people. Yet, we must preach the gospel, and that is agape love. So, we must never compromise the truth of God’s word or what he teaches us we must do, in love, so as not to offend people. So, rudeness must be always be defined by scripture and not by culture (not by the world). A better translation of “does not act unbecomingly” would read that love is not dishonorable (shameful; vile; wicked) or indecent (crude, impure, vulgar). That makes more sense.

Love does not seek its own. In other words, love is unselfish and it regards the legitimate needs (necessities) of others above oneself. It willingly gives of oneself to meet others’ needs, and is self-sacrificial, giving of time, money, resources, energy, etc. for others. Love is not easily provoked (not easily angered). If we are hot-headed, we can’t be acting in love. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered. This is much like “tit for tat,” i.e. it has to do with keeping books (like a score sheet or a ledger) for the purpose of retaliation, i.e. for evening out the score, i.e. for getting even with others for what they do to us. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (does not delight in evil). We should get no pleasure out of the evil things people do or out of seeing evil done to others, and this includes watching TV shows and movies where we are entertained by such evil and even rejoice when people are killed or get their “just due.” We should grieve over such evil, not find pleasure in it. Instead, we should rejoice with the truth, even when the truth cuts straight to the heart.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Again, what this says here must be defined by scripture and not by culture. This is not talking about believing lies or being tolerant of sin or trusting in a false hope or enduring false teaching. This is agape love, so it must be defined by how God loves, by his character and nature, and by his holiness and righteousness. It prefers what God prefers, so it bears, believes, hopes and endures only as God does, and as he requires of us. This does not refer to anything outside the scope of what would be approved by God and for God and for the ultimate good of others. Our beliefs and hopes must always be centered in God and in his Word, and we must endure trials, hardships, troubles and unjust suffering and persecution for the sake of his name, and for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love Never Fails

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In all things we must love God and love others as God loves us and gave himself up for us. All of our gifting, schooling, knowledge, etc. means nothing if it is not led (directed and motivated) by agape love as its driving force. The gifts of the Spirit are not for our own glory but for the glory of God and for the mutual benefit of one another within the body of Christ, that we all may be edified, instructed, encouraged, strengthened, comforted, healed and built up in the faith and reach maturity in Christ. One day, when Jesus (perfection) returns for us, all these gifts of the Spirit will be done away with, for they will no longer be necessary, for we will delivered from these flesh bodies and we will be perfect in Christ. Right now we do not have complete knowledge or understanding, but when Jesus returns, we will know fully as we are fully known. So, we should stop behaving like children, being selfish, prideful, envious, impure, and hot-tempered, etc., and we should become mature in our thinking, reasoning and behaving, putting on love above all else.

Full Release / An Original Work / April 15, 2012

Walking daily with my Savior

brings me joy.

Loving Father; precious Jesus;

He’s my Savior and my Lord.

Gently leads me; follow Him.

I’ve invited Him within.

Now abiding in His presence,

oh, what peace.

From my self-life

He has brought me,

By His mercy, full release.

Hope and comfort,

peace and safety Jesus brings

When I daily bow before Him;

Obey freely; do His will.

Follow Him where’er He leads.

Listen to Him; His words heed.

Now obeying his words fully,

oh, what love

That He gives me

through salvation,

By His Spirit, from above.

Loving Father; precious Jesus,

He’s my friend.

With my Savior, by His Spirit,

I will endure to the end.

Share the gospel, tell what’s true.

Witness daily; His will do.

Tell the world of how their Savior

bled and died.

On a cruel cross He suffered

So that we might be alive.

https://vimeo.com/115169203