LOVE BASICS

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A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:34-35

LOVE: THE COMMANDMENT

To fully understand what God expects from us, it is essential to explore the concept of love. Jesus summarized God’s expectations using just one word: “love”. However, this word is often used, yet not fully understood. To obey this commandment, we must first clearly understand what love is. Love is not just an emotion or a feeling, but a decision and an action. It is a selfless act of kindness and care towards others and an essential part of our relationship with God. Therefore, we must strive to have a clear image of what love is, and filter out what it is not. We must understand that love is not just a fleeting emotion, but something that requires effort and commitment. By exploring the true meaning of love, we can understand God’s intent and obey His commandments. In this blog, we will delve deeper into the concept of love and explore its various dimensions, so that we may have a better understanding of what it truly means to love others and fulfill God’s expectations.

WHAT LOVE DOESN’T DO

I will begin by highlighting what love doesn’t do.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:10

The verse above speaks to the fact that love is not only about what we do, but also about what we do not do. It is not just about being kind and compassionate towards others, but also about refraining from anything that may harm or cause ill to our neighbor. For example, love does not steal from our neighbor, because this act would cause them harm and violate their trust. Similarly, love does not lie about our neighbor or covet anything that belongs to them, because these actions would also cause them harm and rob them of their possessions. In essence, love demands that we act in a way that is trustworthy, honest, and respectful toward our neighbors and that we refrain from anything that may cause them harm or loss. By doing so, we build a relationship of trust and mutual respect with our neighbors and demonstrate our commitment to treating them with the same care and compassion that we would want for ourselves. Therefore, if we are unsure whether our actions towards our neighbor are loving or not, we can simply ask ourselves: will this action cause them harm or benefit? If it is the former, then we can be sure that it is not an act of love, and we should refrain from doing it.

WHAT LOVE DOES

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I will not be reviewing each word used in the verses above because the things that love does not do can be categorized in the section about how love does no ill or harm to one’s neighbor. Instead, let’s review the things that Paul says love does, as written in these verses.

  1. Love suffereth long
  2. Love rejoices in the truth
  3. Love beareth all things
  4. Love believeth all things
  5. Love hopeth all things
  6. Love endureth all things

LOVE SUFFERETH LONG

Can we admit that everyone has flaws? If so, then we should also recognize the need to be patient with people as they grow, just as we would want others to be patient with us as we grow. This ties into the instruction to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you would like people to be patient with you, then it is wise to be patient with others as well.

LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

Paul emphasizes that love rejoices in the truth. Love always celebrates the triumph of truth and encourages honesty and integrity. It values transparency and is grateful when people choose to be truthful, even in difficult situations. Love also inspires us to seek the truth and to be open to new perspectives and ideas. It teaches us to be patient and understanding, to listen carefully to others, and to value their opinions. Love helps us build strong relationships based on trust, respect, and mutual understanding. It motivates us to live our lives with purpose and to make a positive impact on the world around us.

LOVE BEARETH ALL THINGS

This phrase means to cover (like a roof). When someone is going through a storm, which inevitably we all go through, how do you handle it? Do you expose them to the elements or do you cover them. If it were not for the roof of a building, a house would be exposed to rain, snow, and all other elements that could possibly get into the house. The Bible says if you’re going to love, then you’re going to cover them like a roof. You’re going to protect them from the elements that could do them harm. The purpose of love is to protect. So cover people like a roof and protect them from dander.

LOVE BELIEVETH ALL THINGS

What in the world does this mean? Does it mean that love is naive? Of course not. It means that you give people credit. Let’s look at what that means in the banking system and then we’ll evaluate what it means in this context.

In banking, you are giving the person a certain amount of dollars in credit, in advance of say for example them buying a house. So they purchase the home with the credit that you gave them. Now they pay you back for the money, in credit that you gave them.

How does this tie to love? It’s simple. You give them credit, meaning that you extend some trust to the person in advance of them proving they deserve it from you. If they are unworthy of the trust, you’ll find out and you can make adjustments at that point. But love gives people credit that they will either improve over time or ruin.

LOVE HOPETH ALL THINGS

Simply put, love has good expectations of everything that it finds itself in. So love is not paranoid. But instead, love expects great things to be born from anything it is attached to. Love expects good in all of its relationships whether marriage, dating, work, friendships, or family. It simply expects good, no matter the situation.

LOVE ENDURETH ALL THINGS

This means that love remains. Love is not persuaded to quit due to pressure from wherever it may come. You cannot lure love away from what it loves and what it wants. Faithfulness is built into love. Love, in its purest form, can be trusted because you know that it will always be there. You know that a person who loves you will always be there. They will not leave due to pressure because of the faithfulness that is inherent in love.

LOVE NEVER FAILETH

The word “faileth” means become “inefficient”. “Efficiency means to make the best use of time or resources. Therefore love makes the best use of its time and/or resources. This is an amazing summary of what was stated prior in this chapter. You see, the previous verses were actually telling us what the best uses of our time and resources are. You see, for example, it’s a waste of time and resources if you are in a relationship and not expecting or hoping for good. why are you there?

Another example would be jealousy. It would be a waste of your time and energy resources to be jealous or envious of someone. Do not spend your time or resources on things that serve neither you nor others. Love is the BEST use of your time and resources.

So let us love, as we have been commanded!

INTERCESSION: THE ART OF PRAYING FOR OTHERS (PART 1)

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Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

INTRODUCTION:

As we discuss the matter of praying for others, let’s look into our own hearts and seek to correct attitudes and beliefs that interfere with our ability to reach heaven and serve others with our prayers. As we evaluate our own hearts, not in judgement or evil criticisms, but to simply wash our hearts with God’s word, we will find ourselves in deep places whereby we are increasingly sensitive to God’s Spirit and prevail in prayer.

CONFESSION, PRAYER AND HEALING

As we explore the art of praying for others, we will lay some ground work here in focusing on 3 points of contemplation to start…confession, prayer and healing. Now, there tends to be a natural desire to pursue healing, which is the alleviation of pain or particular problems. That’s fine, but we will look at a pathway here that will lead us into the healing that we desire.

CONFESSION:

The first point that we will address is confession. Well what is a confession? Basically, a confession is an admission. It is a statement of truth. In this verse, James tells us to confess our faults one to another. Why would we do that? For what benefit will this confession serve? Here, we are instructed to confess our faults in particular. Have you ever been keeping something secret and you felt like you couldn’t share it with anyone else? Do you remember the pressure you felt inside holding it in? Do you remember the feeling of relief that you felt once you released it and shared the secret with someone you trusted? This is the reason for the confession.

In order for you to be healed, you must be relieved of the pressure that you are carrying inside. This pressure can contribute to stress, which can cause serious health problems for you. So here, God is wanted us to relieve ourselves of the pressure by releasing it. I don’t want to sound crude, but you can think of it this way. Imagine you had eaten a lot of enjoyable food. Of course you know that food was never intended to stay in your body. We eat the food, digest it and then it exits our body. So you at some point begin to feel pressure within that signals to you that you need to make it to the restroom soon or there will be problems. So you go to the restroom to eliminate the waste from your system.

Now if your body is not regularly eliminating waste, there are health problems that will develop. Likewise, If we keep things bottled up inside that we really should talk about, the result will be similar. There are physical and or emotional problems that may develop due to us holding things in. So we have to decide with whom we can open up to and when we should open up to them about our faults.

Here’s another reason why confession of faults is necessary. In context, this is a group of people confessing to one another their faults. One particular benefit this serves is that you understand that you are not alone. Oftentimes we are defeated by life because we feel isolated. We believe that we’re alone and as a consequence we suffer defeat because we thought something was wrong with us and we were an anomaly. In this group of friends, that lie is destroyed, shame is lifted and you are healed.

PRAYER

The next point is prayer. To piggy back off of the first point of confession, the aim of which is to take us into the point of prayer. So the purpose of confession is not for gossip, but it is for the purpose of prayer. You see we can prayer more effectively as we talk to one another. This is because, in conversation, we learn things that we may never have learned without it. So in this phase, we are to use what we learned in the confession phase as a point of reference in the prayer phase.

As an aside, you can use this principle when praying alone, as well as in groups. You can begin this type of prayer by confessing your faults and or sin to the Father.

So at this point when the group enters the prayer phase, you can take turns praying as you are lead based upon the confessions made in phase one. It is not necessary that all persons pray. Each setting may be different. The leader may pray for the group or each person in the group may provide prayers as they are lead to do so.

I want to point out something here that may not be obvious. We are told to pray “for one another.” In order to pray for one another, we need to care about one another. We need to love each other and care about each other’s highest good. Without loving one another and caring about the well-being of each other, praying for one another will be a daunting task.

HEALING

What does it mean to be healed? When I think of healing I think of a problem being resolved. For example, if someone had cancer, healing would be the cancer is no longer in their body. If they cut their finger, the wound closes up and there’s no more pain. Healing is the putting back of things as they should be or as God intended. So the aim of the first 2 phases is to carry those in the group into phase 3.

This, you should have in mind as your target or goal. But not only that, you are fully believing for those in your group to be healed. You are believing for things to be set right in your lives as a result of your confessions and prayers.

COMPONENTS OF PRAYER

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Suppose you want to bake a cake. First, you will decide what kind of cake that you want to bake. You will find a recipe that matches the cake you desire to have. Then you will get the ingredients together. You will then follow the steps in the recipe in order so that you can properly bake whatever the given cake may be.

Have you considered that there are ingredients or components to prayer. Now as with a cake, there are some ingredients that you add in or take out based upon the type of cake you are making, likewise with prayer. There are some basic ingredients or components that should be a part of every prayer. Also, there are some components that are not necessary for every “kind” of prayer.

Below I’m going to list 3 basic ingredients of prayer.
1) Desire
2) Faith
3) Prayer

DESIRE
Now each of these ingredients serve a particular role. Let’s begin with “desire.” Desire is the thing that you want. It is the thing that you want to come to pass. If you are praying for a relationship, then the desire is the mate. If you are praying for a job, then the job is the desire. That ingredient is rather simple to understand. You have to first want the thing that you are praying for.

FAITH
The second listed ingredient is “faith.” This ingredient may be a little more complicated to grasp, but you can get this. Belief has to do with what you think to be true regarding your current relationship with your desire. Using our previous example of the desire being a relationship, do you think that you have the relationship? Do you think you will have the relationship some time in the future? Do you think you will never have the relationship?

Let’s evaluate each of these questions and eliminate the incorrect answers one by one.

Do you believe you will never have the relationship?
Does this question match faith? I think we can easily answer this one “no.” It is obviously not an example of faith.

Do you believe you will have the relationship some time in the future?
This question appears to be a match for faith. However, this is not an example of faith either. This is not bad, but it is an example of hope, not faith. The reason this thought is not an example of faith is because it puts the desired thing into the future. Future is always tied to hope. However, faith is always tied to the present. Allow me to explain.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mark 11:24

In this verse, notice what Jesus said must be believed. He said “that ye receive them.” He didn’t say believe that you are going to received them. You have to believe that you receive it at the point of your prayer. The mistake that is often made is postponing belief until after the thing has happened or believing that God will do the thing at some unknown time in the future. However, the promise is tied to believing you are receiving it now.

Do you believe that you have the relationship?
Therefore, of the 3 questions, this is the one that matches faith. Biblical faith is accepting as true the desired thing as yours prior to your senses indicating it is so. Otherwise, you are not in faith. So in order to be in faith for your relationship, you have to accept as true in your heart that you have the mate even without that person physically in your life. Belief that the thing is so precedes manifestation in order for it to be faith.

PRAYER
Following our cake baking analogy, where does prayer fit in? Prayer is the bowl that you use. Prayer is the container in which you mix desire and belief. Prayer basically means to ask. We have come to understand that prayer is communication with God, or fellowship. So when we look at it from the standpoint of asking. We simply ask for what we want and believe it is already done while we are praying.

IN CONCLUSION
Make this lesson apply to you. Think of something that you would like to happen in your life. Mix your desire and faith in your heart and ask the Father for it. You will be amazed with the results that will follow.

PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 4)

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But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:12

John 1:12 – Understanding Our Relationship with God Through Jesus

In previous discussions, we explored the nature of God the Father. This time, we’ll delve into our identity and relationship with God through Jesus, examining the impact of this relationship on our contributions to the world.

Defining ‘Sonship’ and ‘Father’

To fully appreciate this lesson, let’s define ‘son’ or ‘sonship’ and ‘Father.’ ‘Sonship’ implies being a ‘builder,’ while ‘Father’ signifies a ‘Source.’ These definitions reveal God’s role as our Provider and our duty as builders, utilizing what we receive from the Father.

The Crisis in America: A Severed Bond

The weakening bond between father and son in America presents a significant issue. This severed connection leaves sons without guidance, hindering their ability to contribute effectively to society. This concept is mirrored in nature, where a fruit or a tree disconnected from its source soon perishes, losing its ability to thrive or reproduce.

The Role of Faith

Our connection to God is forged through faith, particularly faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is the cornerstone of our walk with God.

Habakkuk 2:4 and Galatians 3:11 emphasize two key points: living by faith and the impossibility of justification by law alone in God’s sight.

Faith emerges as a crucial theme in the Bible, further underscored by Hebrews 11:6. Without faith, pleasing God is impossible, regardless of moral conduct. Faith is integral to every aspect of our relationship with God, with its absence marking a deviation from His path.

Conclusion: Our Contribution to the World

Returning to our analogy of the apple tree: Just as an apple tree nourishes others with its fruit, believers, rooted in faith, produce qualities that nourish the world. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) are fruits we offer to those around us.

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PRAYER: RELATIONSHIP MATTERS (PART 3)

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After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:9

Unveiling the Essence of ‘Father’

In our spiritual exploration, the term ‘father’ deserves a closer look. Beyond a simple title, it embodies the essence of an originator, a transmitter, a force that breathes its spirit into others. These layers of meaning enrich our understanding as we delve into Jesus’s guidance on addressing God in our prayers.

The Teaching of Jesus: A Call to Intimacy

Jesus, in His earthly journey, intimately called God ‘Father.’ This choice wasn’t arbitrary. Through this, He extends a profound invitation to us:

1) Echoing Jesus: By calling God ‘Father,’ we align ourselves with Jesus, echoing His way of relating to God.

2) Shared relationship: It signals that, through redemption, we share the same relationship with God as Jesus does.

3) Cultivating Trust: This term is a reminder to foster a childlike trust in God, shaping our mindset towards faith and reliance.

Thus, ‘Father’ is not just a term; it’s an invitation to experience an intimate connection with our Creator, the one who has infused His Spirit within us.

The Understated Power of ‘Father’ in Prayer

While the components of prayer like words, faith, and desire hold their importance, the term ‘Father’ brings a unique strength to our prayers. It signifies a special bond reserved for believers, a connection unparalleled in the universe. It’s a relationship that transcends the ordinary, distinguishing us as recipients of His Spirit, unlike any other creation.

Practical Implications: Living the Connection

This understanding transforms our prayer life. As we address God as ‘Father,’ it’s not just about the fulfillment of our requests. It’s about engraving the awareness of this divine relationship in our hearts. Each prayer becomes a reminder of the redeeming work of Jesus, who bridged the gap between humanity and divinity.

By embracing ‘Father’ in our prayers, we don’t just speak to a distant deity; we converse with a loving parent who desires an intimate relationship with us. This is the heart of salvation, the very purpose of Jesus’s sacrifice – to rekindle the bond between mankind and its Creator.