“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 3:24)

I'm someone who generally tries very hard to think as logically and as rationally as possible. Even though I was taught to believe the Bible since I was very young, my commitment to God is based on a personal certainty that Christianity just makes sense. For example…

• My conscience confirms that sin is wrong; the Bible defines sin and its consequences (1 John 3:4; Rev. 20:15).
  
  
• The beauty of nature points to a divine Maker Who is described in Isaiah 40:28 as "the Creator of the ends of the earth."
  
  
• Thousands of Biblical prophecies have been irrefutably fulfilled in exact detail, and many last-days prophecies are continuing to unfold.*

Despite what anybody says, you don’t have to commit intellectual suicide to become a Christian. In fact, to fully know the truth is impossible without becoming personally acquainted with Jesus, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)

Of course there are some aspects of the Gospel that no human mind can fully comprehend. The underlying principles of grace and unconditional love defy human logic altogether – especially when you consider that we are offered so much more than salvation from hell. The Son of God Himself stands at the door of our hearts, offering a relationship that will radically transform every moment of the rest of our lives (Rev. 3:20).

If this doesn’t astound you, consider Paul’s analysis of grace in 2 Corinthians 8:9,

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”

Even though God’s grace cannot possibly be matched by human generosity, imagine passing a stereotypical homeless person on the street who asks you for money. You could brush him off like most people, or give him $10 and feel proud of yourself for the rest of the day. Would you even consider withdrawing every penny from your bank account and handing over your life savings? Would you volunteer to take his place sleeping under the bridge and sign over the title to your house? Hypothetically speaking, would you trade your good health for tuberculosis and frostbite?

Probably not – and yet that’s only an imperfect picture of the grace of God. According to Isaiah 53, He alone “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Vs. 4) When we had “turned every one unto his own way”, the Father “laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Vs. 6) Our redemption was fashioned through the gruesome crucifixion and marvelous resurrection of Him “Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

No matter how hard I try, I can’t make sense of the grace of God. It goes completely against the grain of human/Adamic nature that mixes ulterior motives of selfishness and pride with nearly everything we do. But even though it may not seem logical, God’s grace is a very real extension of His immeasurable love for humanity. It’s absolutely undeserved and yet completely free.

^{*http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible}

For the last four weeks I’ve been privileged with a front row seat to the miracle of life. One of my ducks, Dorothy, spent the hottest part of this year so far tending to a nest of eggs laid in late June and she now has three newly-hatched ducklings to show for her patience. What I didn’t realize until I started raising these animals a few years ago is that successfully incubating duck eggs is no small achievement; it takes 28 days of constant nurturing if there is to be any hope of success. More than 20 hours every day are invested in sitting and waiting, with God-given instinct and love as the expectant mother’s only motivation.

This is the perfect picture of unconditional love. Not only can we see the faithfulness of God exemplified in a mother who sacrifices every comfort to give life to her unborn offspring, but we see that same love reciprocated by hatchlings that are completely dependent upon her continued care and provision. Even when the time comes for them to leave the nest, they will go only where she leads. Their only shelter is in the shadow of her wings and their only comfort in the reassurance of her presence.

“We love him, because He first loved us.”

          -1 John 4:19

 

Many Christians take great pride in their commitment to God and love for Him, as if they were the pursuer in the greatest love story of all time. Certainly this is not the case. However faithful we may be in our prayer life, our Bible studies, or in any other facet of our walk with God, our goodness pales in comparison to the One who came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). We love Him only because He first loved us. We pray only because He prayed, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through [the apostles’] words” (John 17:20). We have hope only because our souls have been ransomed by His blood (Hebrews 9:12, 22). As Paul wrote, “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived…but after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:3-5).

There you have it. Regardless of how magnificent a transformation occurred when you were born again in Christ, you can’t take credit for any of it. It’s all God’s work. He’s the Author of our faith, and, as we read in Ephesians 2:8, even such saving faith is a Divine gift. Every good and perfect gift comes from the hand of God (James 1:17), so anything we give Him in return is only our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). May we all learn to give Him our all, not for recognition, but to bring honor to the one who gave His all for us.

 

I didn’t plan to write about romance when first starting this series, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that few things have a more direct line to one’s heart than love itself. The Bible tells us that love is a beautiful and noble thing (1 Corinthians 13), but romantic love has several unique qualities – most of which are obvious – when contrasted with the “brotherly love” spoken of in Hebrews 13:1. Although both were created by God and are in some way a reflection of His Own goodness, romantic love should always be combined with discernment and maturity whereas Christian love should be had toward all people without prejudice.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

             -2 Corinthians 6:14

The first and most important thing to consider about a person you’re attracted to is whether or not they are a believer. Don’t make the mistake of disregarding his or her beliefs now with the intention of changing them later; this rarely happens. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:39 that “the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” Why this stipulation? Because according to Matthew 11:28-30, the burden of the sinner is heavy while the load of the Christian is light. When a believer and nonbeliever are joined in marriage, thus becoming in the eyes of God “one flesh” (Mark 10:8), it becomes exceptionally difficult to “stand fast…in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1) That’s not to say those already in such a situation should by any means leave their spouse (see 1 Cor. 7:13), but it’s best not to put yourself in this position if at all possible.

Secondly, don’t take for granted that you are supposed to pursue a relationship with somebody just because they meet the above criteria. The facts that the girl next door calls herself a Christian and that you find her attractive doesn’t mean God has predestined her to be your wife. Does she share your values and doctrinal beliefs, or do you disagree on issues which may prove controversial in the long-run? Of course you shouldn’t be so critical that you’re impossible to satisfy – it’s probably okay if you read different translations of the Bible – but keep in mind that deeper issues such as the necessity of baptism and tithing will likely prove contentious unless you see eye-to-eye on them.

Finally, understand that any decision of this magnitude made without prayer and fasting will likely be wrong. Even relationships that never consummate in marriage will generally have a very lasting effect on those involved and so rushing into romance without first seeking God’s will is never advisable. You may be sure you have found the one God has for you, but don’t spoil His perfect plan by taking things impatiently into your own hands; seek His guidance and accept His timeframe, even if it differs from your own (it probably will).

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

              -Proverbs 4:23

My intent in writing this series is to prepare you for the daily war fought for the attention of your mind and the affection of your heart. Not only does your heart influence the decisions you make, but it determines the very emotions you feel and the thoughts you entertain. This is what Solomon meant when he said “out of it are the issues of life.” And yet despite our general awareness of this I see too many Christian young people willing to grant a place in their hearts to anybody who will take it just so they can change their relationship status on Facebook. This is too small a thing to live for. First make sure you’ve given top priority to your relationship with God, otherwise your every pursuit will be a wasted effort to fill an emptiness only He can satisfy.

 

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

             -Romans 5:8

If you want to be amazed, then stop and think for a few moments on the incredible love of God. Few things are as unbelievable, and yet even fewer things more real. Though the Scriptures tell us He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3), He nevertheless endured the cross on our behalf  that we might be reconciled to God through His blood and enjoy everlasting life with Him (Hebrews 2:17; John 17:2, 3). He demonstrated the greatest kind of love one can possess despite our obvious inability to ever earn grace or forgiveness, and promises that many more blessings will follow to those who put their trust in Him.

What makes this kind of love so amazing? The simple fact that we don’t deserve it. As humans, we are all members of a fallen race (Romans 5:12-14) and the thought that an infinite, holy, and eternal God would even take the time to notice – let alone die for – us should baffle our minds completely. We have nothing to offer Him that He doesn’t already possess, because, as Matthew 5:48 so plainly states, He is perfect. We don’t complete Him, but are in desperate need of His grace and mercy to complete us (Colossians 2:10).

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

                         -I John 4:9

On this Good Friday, when people around the world are commemorating Christ’s death on the cross, let each of us be reminded of the amazing and undeserved love that was demonstrated by God the Son on that day some 2,000 years ago. He did what no one else could do and what few others would do: He died for us (Romans 5:7). God, in all of His power and glory, stooped to our level so that we could be raised up to His (Ephesians 2:6). That, my friend, is amazing love.

 

 

“Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

             -Hebrews 2:17

Last night I lay in bed meditating on this passage of Scripture and, just as I was about to fall asleep, an amazing thought occurred to me: we serve a God Who is both mercifully faithful and faithfully merciful. It is because of His mercy that He loves us, and yet because of His love that we are shown mercy. Though none of us could ever deserve forgiveness, the price for our redemption has been fully paid by Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and all we must do is repent and believe the Gospel in order to obtain it (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9).

Though critics of our faith often say they won’t believe in God until He comes down from heaven and appears to them physically, they fail to realize that, for 33 years, that’s exactly what He did. The Word was made flesh, we beheld His glory, and then crucified it (John 1:5, 14). It’s never been about us lacking good reason to believe, but rather that people often reject the evidence God has already given and then blame Him for their own doubts. Like the Jews who wanted a sign of Christ’s deity after they’d just watched Him miraculously feed 5,000 people (John 6:30), it’s foolish of us to look any further than the cross in our search for God’s love. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

           -Romans 5:8

Unlike the brand of love we see at work in today’s world, love in its purest form cannot be expressed in words; it can only be proven by our actions. This is the type of love that filled the heart of our Heavenly Father, moving Him to demonstrate His undying affection for us by dying a sinner’s death on a cross at the hands of those He created. Such a love could never begin to be understood if all we had was the verbal promise of its existence. Of course some would probably still believe in it, but could we ever truly comprehend it? Now that we have such clear evidence that it does indeed exist, we are finally able to“comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

 

 

 

 

“Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.”

                                                  -2 Chronicles 25:1, 2

We are told in Ephesians 2:10 that it is God’s will for all of His children to follow after good works. We are saved by grace through faith apart from our works (v. 8), but are instructed to express our gratitude for that salvation through service to both God and others. Despite this truth, today’s verse is a sobering reminder that it is very possible for a person to do all the right things for all the wrong reasons.

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?...”

                                                     -John 21:15

I believe that, in order to fully comprehend the significance of what Jesus is saying here, we must first look at Peter’s background: this is the same Simon Peter who walked on water with the Lord during a raging storm (Matthew 14:29). This is the same Peter who zealously cut off the right ear of the High Priest’s servant for trying to take Jesus captive (John 18:10). He was the one who spoke up and expressed His resolve to stay with God even when everybody else was walking away (John 6:68), and couldn’t understand why the Son of God should wash his calloused and dirty feet (John 13:6). Of course he made his fair share of mistakes along the way but, at least most of the time, was the one everybody else needed to be more like. Yet in spite out his outward devotion, Christ presented the question, “Do you really love Me?” He didn’t ask whether he’d been faithful to go through the motions of Christianity, but instead wanted to know whether or not it was truly in his heart. When it comes down to it, a filthy heart will eventually corrupt our actions anyway (Luke 6:45), so it’s best to make sure we have everything right on the inside before concerning ourselves with the rest.

Perhaps you, like Peter, seem to be on par with everybody else when it comes to the external aspect of your faith. You raise your hands during church, never miss a youth group meeting, and read Christian devotionals on the internet during your spare time. And yet despite the fact that you’re doing everything you know you should be doing on the outside, it still feels like something’s missing in your life and you wonder what it is. Could it be that the Lord is asking you the very same question He asked Peter?

 

 

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

              -John 13:34

When Jesus came, He completely redefined the essence of true obedience to God’s Word. In Old Testament times people thought it was enough to simply abide by the letter of the law while pretty much ignoring Its spiritual implications, and yet we are reminded numerous times throughout the four Gospels alone that our God wants more than just an outward show of religion; He wants inward commitment and devotion that goes far beyond the outward aspect of things (Mark 12:30).

As Paul reminded us in Romans 13:10, “…love is the fulfilling of the law.” He explained that none of the commandments we find in Scripture would ever be broken if we would simply love our neighbor as ourself, for “love worketh no ill to his neighbour.”  Unlike many of us today who tend to focus solely on outward evidences of inward sin, Jesus and Paul both sought to treat the problem once and for all by removing the cause of the undesired effect. They recognized that sins such as adultery, murder, lying, and revenge all begin in the heart and that, like a weed, they would continue to spring back up until being plucked out by the roots.

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

        -John 15:12

Notice here that Jesus didn’t just ask us to get along, or to try and be nice to each other; no, He said plainly that we must love one another. Learning to put the needs of others before our own, though often difficult to emulate, is a sign of true and undefiled Christianity (James 1:27; Romans 12:10), and is perhaps the greatest testimony we can give of our faith in Christ. It shows the world that we’re serious about serving God, and do so for more than just personal gain. It is then, as Christ said, that the world can know with certainty that we are His (John 13:35).

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

            -Philippians 2:3

When we come to the place of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, people are going to notice. When we intentionally sacrifice our own agenda for His, our priorities for His purpose, and think of others before worrying about ourselves, the world around us will see that there is indeed something special about us. More importantly than that, they will see that there is something special about Jesus. After all, if God is love (1 John 4:8), doesn’t it make sense that His followers should be known for expressing it?

 

Love is not an emotion. Though it is often accompanied by emotion, love is so much more than a word or a feeling; it is a commitment. It is a commitment that bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. True love, as Paul said, never fails. (1 Corinthians 13)

Unlike the brand of love we see at work in today’s world, love in its purest form cannot be expressed in words; it can only be proven by our actions. This is the type of love that filled the heart of our Heavenly Father, moving Him to demonstrate His undying affection for us by dying a sinner’s death at the hands of those He created. Such a love could never begin to be understood if all we had was the verbal promise of its existence. Sure, we’d probably still believe in it, but would we truly comprehend it? Now that we have such clear evidence that it exists, we are now able to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

2,000 years ago, love was born into a broken world. Jesus could’ve chose to never set foot in this world, but He didn’t. He knew full well that most of the people who would claim to love Him on earth would one day, directly or indirectly, nail Him to a cross. The amazing thing is that He didn’t let our lack of love keep Him from loving us. Even with His last words, He was praying for our redemption (Luke 23:34). No love has ever been more real; no love has ever been greater.

"The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

                            -Deuteronomy 7:7-8

I was reading in Deuteronomy earlier tonight, and these verses have been on my heart ever since. I know that many times in my walk with God I have questioned how He could possibly love me, and why He chooses to use someone like me when there are countless people out there with so much more to offer Him. But through this Scripture we catch a small glimpse of why God picked us, out of all people, to be ambassadors for His Kingdom: to put in quite simply, He loves us.

Moses told the Israelites that the Lord didn't choose them because they were large in number. They were in fact very few in number. But, in reality, that is one of the reasons God did choose them, for Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27, 29, "...God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty...That no flesh should glory in his presence." In other words, God delights in using those whom the world would classify as a nobody, because then He gets 100% of the glory for all that He accomplishes through them. When the Lord made a young shepherd (David) king over His people, the credit for His success couldn't be given to previously acquired academic skills or good social standing; God got it all. Likewise, when God uses people like me and you, all who see His working us will say with certainty, "God is doing something great through them." 

So if you've ever asked yourself, "Why did God choose me?", then know today that it wasn't because you had something special to offer Him. It was because He loved you - it was because He made you.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."

                            -Matthew 5:3-11 

Having just read the beatitudes, I decided that this portion of Scripture would make an excellent series. I'll be  covering each of them in a series of 8 posts (combining verses 10 & 11), and expound on both the responsibilities as well as the promises we are given through Christ's teaching here.

I'm really excited about this series, and I'm anxious to see how God ministers to each of us as we dig deeper into His Word and seek to know Him better. I hope that you'll enjoy it!

However, this series will not begin until the 17th. While I do plan on sticking to a daily format for this blog, I feel that taking a short, 1 week, break from posting would be in my best interest. Coming up with a devotion every day is not always easy, and I can use this time to regain my thoughts and refresh myself in the Lord. If you really have a hankering to read something encouraging, I'm sure you'll be able to find something in my archives.

Until then, may God bless you and draw you closer to Him.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

                        -I John 4:8 

Because many people misinterpret this verse and forget that our God is also a God of justice, I have devoted a number of posts to clarifying that misconception. However, it is just as dangerous to pay so much attention to His justice that we forget about His love. There must be a balance between the two, and so that is why today I want us to carefully consider the love of God and what it means to be the objects of that love.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

                            -Jeremiah 31:3

The love of God is no ordinary love. It is an extraordinary love that cannot be dispelled by death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature (see Romans 8:38-39). It is an "everlasting love" that moved the Father to send "His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) It is a love that cannot be explained, described, or even understood; for those who have been made to receive it have done nothing at all that would make them worthy of such a great and invaluable treasure.

It is evident from such verses as II Peter 3:9 that God loves all humanity and has a desire for each of us to receive salvation through His Son. But there is a special love, known only to believers, that we are instructed to walk in (Jude 21). This love is not based on good works, but upon the fact that we have been adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters (Romans 8:15). Just as an earthly father has a unique love toward his children and is always seeking their well-being, our Father in heaven watches over us and makes certain that all things work out for our benefit (Romans 8:28).

No doubt, if it were not for His love, God would be neither merciful, gracious, or compassionate. In light of this truth, love is surely one of the most important attributes of God.

As the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned by the apostle Paul, it is reasonable to assume that it (i.e. Love) must be the most important (see also I Corinthians 13:13). With that said, we should do everything we possibly can to make sure that we have this fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In fact, Paul said in I Corinthians 13:1-3 that if we don't have love, nothing else that we accomplish even matters.

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

               -I John 2:6

Jesus was the ultimate example of love. Though we had never done anything to deserve His grace, He poured it out freely upon each of us by dying on the cross "...while we were yet sinners." (Romans 5:8) As John said, if we are going to follow Christ, we must "walk as he walked", which means we must love those around us just like He did - even if they have done nothing to deserve it. In reality, loving only those who deserve our love is nothing special at all; loving those who don't deserve it is the mark of a true Christian (John 13:35), because it is evidence of a super-natural power working within us.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 
                                        -I John 4:8 

If God is love, and we don't have love, then we don't have God. We must love both friends and enemies, those we know as well as those we don't know, if we intend to please God.

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

                            -Matthew 5:44 

Loving your enemies is probably one of the hardest things Christ has asked told us to do, but at the same time I'm not sure there is any way to be a better witness for Christ than to "do good to them that hate us." When somebody does us wrong, oftentimes it is hard for us to keep from blowing up and doing something to "get them back", let alone trying to love them and do good to them. But, regardless of how hard it may be, it is a must if we are going to call ourselves followers of Christ.

Something we should keep in mind is that Christ rarely calls us to do something that He has not already done Himself. Jesus showed us the ultimate example of loving our enemies when He prayed for those that Had just crucified Him (Luke 23:34), and when He washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, even though He knew this was the same man that would soon betray Him (see John 13:2-5). Though He had the ability, and the right, to send those people to hell right then and there, He loved them too much to do so. He gave them opportunity to repent of their evil deeds, and apparently it paid off because the Bible says that one of the centurions who took part in the crucifixion finally came to the knowledge that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).

Let us learn to love our friends, as well as our enemies,  "for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." (I Timothy 2:3) God be with you as you endeavor to do so.

"I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."

                            -Psalm 116:1-2 

Those of you who have been following me for a while know that one thing I post about quite often is the importance of loving God. I hope that the Lord has used those posts to ignite, or else rekindle, a love for Him in your hearts, because today I want to examine the reasons why we love God.

In this passage of Scripture in Psalm 116, David is speaking of the reasoning behind his own personal love for the Lord. He said that he loved God because He had heard his "voice and...supplications" and had "inclined his ear" unto him. In other words, David loved the Lord because He had shown Himself  to be worthy of love. But what reason did the Lord have to love us? We had never shown ourselves to be worthy of love in any way whatsoever; nor had we answered His prayers, delivered His soul from the hand of the enemy, and prepared for Him a place in heaven, which are all things He has done for us.

Do you see where I am going with this? We love God because He gave us good reason to; yet He loved us even when we were in our sins being anything but lovable. By no means did we deserve His love, yet He poured it out freely upon each one of us. That, my friend, is true love.

"We love him, because he first loved us."

   -I John 4:19

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

                            -Romans 5:8

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."

                            -Revelation 2:1-4 

 Now I know that I recently touched on this issue with my post, "Love the Lord", a few days ago, but it's something that has really been on my heart lately.

Yesterday I was reading in the book of Revelation and these four verses really spoke to me. I read as Christ commended the church of Ephesus for their works, patience, and labor. In other words, they did all the right things. On the outside, everything was fine. However, Christ had "somewhat against them" because they had left their first love.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

                            -Mark 12:30

Jesus said that loving God is the first, or most important, commandment. It doesn't matter how much we do for the Lord, if we don't have a love for Him in our heart then it doesn't matter. Love for God produces works, but works doesn't necessarily indicate love. We've got to have both.

"... for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

                            -Deuteronomy 13:3 

Oftentimes it is easy for a child of God to get so used to going through the same spiritual routine every day that we forget about the importance of truly loving God. Jeremiah 3:9 speaks of the dangers of going through the motions, while being inwardly devoid of any love for the Lord:

"And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD."

In John 21:15-17, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times whether or not he loved Him. No, He didn't ask him if he had been faithful to obey His word, or if he prayed, fasted, etc. Surely we must be careful to do those things, for if we truly love the Lord obedience must follow (John 14:15); but just because the outside is right doesn't necessarily mean the inward is right as well.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." 

                            -Jeremiah 31:3

This is the kind of love that the Lord has had toward us, and it is also the type of love that we should have for Him.    

Hey. I thought you guys might like this song by one of my new favorite artists, Phil Wickham. I really like the way he takes the whole gospel and fits it into a simple, yet beautiful, song. Enjoy!

A few days ago, we received a Christmas card that had the words, "Jesus knows me, this I love..." written on the inside. At first we made light of it, thinking that the individual who sent it just didn't remember the words to the song, but then we realized that what she was saying made perfect sense. Not only does Jesus know me, but He knows me better than I know myself. After all, I haven't the slightest clue how many hairs are on my head, but according to the Bible God even knows that (Matthew 10:30).

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

                             -I Peter 5:7

This Christmas season, I challenge you to, for just one minute, forget about the Christmas shopping you've got to finish up; forget about the presents yet to wrap and the food left to buy, and reflect on the true meaning of the Holiday. Don't let the lights, the music, and the gifts steal all your attention as they have in years past, but instead give your attention to the One who gave the greatest Christmas gift of all: Himself.