You Can Always Go Back Home

The cable network that we subscribe to has a program titled “On Demand” which allows you to watch recently released or old movies for a price, and some for free. With that said, the other day I punched up a movie for ninety nine cents titled “Antwone Fisher”

It’s the story of a troubled young man who reacts to the world around him, violently, because he does not know what else to do. Based on the true-life story, Antwone, a Navy Petty Officer, has a hair-trigger temper, and is sent to see Navy psychiatrist, Dr. Jerome Davenport. Here, Fisher begins to open up about his troubled past.

Antwone's narrative, aided by flashbacks, which reveal a horrific physically, and sexually abusive childhood. His father was murdered two months before his birth, in prison, to a mother who abandoned him after her release. Rev. Tate, who with his wife adopts Fisher, is a charismatic minister, and while he is marginal to the story, he is emblematic of a religion long on charisma and condemnation, but short on mercy.

Life with the Tate’s revolves around church activities. On Sundays, Rev. Tate conjures Jesus to provoke ecstatic worship. Mrs. Tate rewards the boys with vanilla wafers if they "catch the Holy Ghost." Away from church, she sadistically tortures and berates the boys for the smallest infractions. Antwone develops the ability to discern her moods based on smells in the air, to determine what kind of day it will be for himself and his two foster brothers, Dwight and Keith. Eventually, as a teenager, Antwone is kicked out of the home and bounces around institutions until he lands on the streets. Upon witnessing the tragic death of his only friend, during a failed robbery attempt, he seeks refuge in the Navy, with emotional baggage in full tow.

Eventually he finds in Dr. Davenport, a father figure, and begins to let go of his shame. He finds a first love in Cheryl, who is also in the Navy. Their courtship is tender and innocent. These new relationships pacify the hunger in Antwone, but he still needs to deal with his past.

 Antwone returns to Ohio to find his biological father's family. He meets relatives who lead him to the birth mother he never knew. Antwone shares with his mother a litany of his life, chronicling his longings for her, his growth as a person, his decency. He wants her to know, in sum, that he is a good man. The film concludes with Antwone returning to his aunts' house to find a reunion in his honor. He is greeted by this extended family, and summoned by the elders to a banquet table, where he is given a place of honor and welcomed. The movie was a real tear jerker.

In some way it reminded me of a parable in the Bible, (ref. Luke 15:11-25) about a young man who went to his father and asked for his half of his dad’s inheritance. Surprisingly enough, the father agrees to divide the inheritance between his two sons. The younger takes his share and leaves home for a far-off land where he immediately begins to squander his inheritance on riotous living. After his money is gone, so too are his newly found friends. Hungry and poor the young man takes a job feeding pigs for next to nothing. His life becomes so hard and difficult that he even contemplates eating the garbage that he uses to feed the pigs.

Much like the younger son, we once lived outside of the grace of God; making our lives very difficult. We sometimes made decisions that went against the grain of his word and all that we were taught. We abused our mortal bodies by living according to ways of this sinful world, reveling in explicit sexual activities, while abusing addictive substances and surrounded ourselves with the pigs of life. Speaking for myself, I lived as if God was not always present to see what I was doing. “But He Was There All The Time” patiently waiting for me to return to him.

One day, the young man in the parable finally came to his senses, and said to himself: “even the servants in my father’s house are living better than this; I think I’ll go back home to my father”. Unknown to the younger son was the fact that everyday since he’d been gone, his father would walk to the end of the road which led up to his house, looking for his long lost son’s return. (get a tissue handy)…as the story continues, the son finally returns home, and while he was still a long way off; his father spotted him, filled with love and compassion, the father ran to his younger son, embraced him and kissed him. The young man said; father, I have sinned against heaven and you; therefore I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.

 But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,  for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the feast began.

If this same story applies to you, know that it’s never too late to return to the Father, (Christ). No matter what you’ve done in life up till now, He’s standing at the end of your road with open arms. Patiently waiting to embrace you, with forgiveness, agape love, and compassion.

Someone once said; “you can never go home again”. Well Antwone Fisher did, and so can you.

Footnotes: Luke 15:11-22 (NLT)

                     Biblegateway.com

                     JR & F film review

You're Surrounded...Praise God!

                                                   

“We’re surrounded, that simplifies the problem”

Marine Corps Colonel Chesty Puller

________________________________________________________________________________

Ever have the feeling of being so overwhelmed, that it felt as if the walls around you were beginning to close in and just crush the life out of you?

Those are the moments when you lack the physical strength to fight back, nor do you feel like talking to anyone. Sometimes it seems as if our “Get up and go” has got up and went. What is the born again believer to do when he or she has reached their limit, where do they turn for help?

I hate the feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place, no one should ever have to experience that level of frustration, or shouldn’t they?

It’s very strange to me how church-folk have all of these great sayings when not directly facing hardship; “the Lord won’t put more on you than you can bare”…”God is good all the time”… and the list goes on. But where does all of that positive re-enforcement go when we are surrounded by difficult times?

I’ve come to the realization that too many Christians neglect to factor in that when God is ordering our steps, he doesn’t just send us down a yellow brick road to the Land of Oz. Even so, we still encounter lions, tigers, and bears along life’s journey… “Oh My!”

 The word of God is laced with historical and biblical facts that reveal the lengths to which the Lord will go in order to protect and prosper his people. God proved just how much he loved Israel when it seemed as if they’d be pushed into the Red Sea by the armies of Egypt. (Ref. Exodus 14)

God allowed Satan to touch Job’s wealth and health which proved that not only is God sovereign, but he also restores. (Ref. Job 1:1-22 & 42:1-17)

Ok, you might be thinking to yourself; well those are isolated incidents against one enemy, and I would agree; however there are a couple of instances when the people of God were surrounded by numerous odds.

 One of these instances occurred when the Kingdom of Jerusalem found themselves under attack from three enemies all at the same time. The kingdoms of Moab, Ammon, and Mt. Seir arrayed themselves together against the out-numbered people of Judah and surrounded the Kingdom in preparation for war. (Ref. 2^nd Chronicles 20)

 Imagine yourself being suddenly out-numbered by financial depression, un-employment, having more month at the end of your money, health issues, marital problems…

 Simply yelling “calgon take me away” will not suffice, it’s in those moments that we need to rely on the super natural power of the Holy Spirit to relieve, redeem, and restore. King Jehoshaphat did the following:

1.      He worshiped the Lord from the depths of his soul

-         Never look to the Lord as just a way out of your predicament, but worship him in Spirit and in truth. (Ref. John 4:24)

2.    He sought instruction from the Lord

-         In Spiritual warfare one cannot depend on their own way of doing things; for starters the fight is not one of a physical nature, but it’s fought in the heavenly’s. Therefore we must enquire of the Lord what steps we should take to bring about certain victory. (Ref. Proverbs 3:5-6, Ephesians 6:12, 1^st Samuel 30:6-8)

 We often say that the Lord works in mysterious ways…and in Jerusalem’s case, that’s exactly what happened. Jehoshaphat was instructed by God to send singers ahead of the soldiers onto the battlefield. This tactic not only confused the enemy, but it would cause them to attack and destroy each other, which allowed Judah to reap the spoils of war (Ref. 2^nd Chronicles 20:21)

 This indeed does prove the saying; “when praises go up, the blessings come down”. When the dust from the battle cleared, Judah was three days collecting so much wealth from the bodies of their attackers that it was just too much for them to carry. They spent the fourth day in the Valley of Berachah blessing the Lord.

What’s the moral of the story?

When you find yourself at what seems to be the mercy of your dilemma, that’s not the time to surrender;

 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

 You’re surrounded…”Praise God!”

"Mirror, Mirror"

“And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  Genesis 1:26-27

From the early days of my youth even until today I’ve always been told of how much I resemble my father. I’m told that I act just like him…and its true…Others tell me that I sound just like him…and its true…Some say that I think just like him…and its true…

So much of who I am today is a carbon copy of who he was; dad enlisted in the U.S. Army and I enlisted in the U.S. Marines, dad boxed as an amateur, so did I, dad answered the call to minister and so did I. Just the other day I compared photos of us and the resemblance is so striking.

I guess you could say that dad spit me right out and there’s no denying that I am his son; each day that I look in the mirror, I see my dad’s reflection. It’s a fact that I’m very proud of.

Let me ask you this question; knowing that we were created in the image and likeness of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; how often do others see his resemblance in you? Can you truly claim to be an offspring of our heavenly father?

Jesus commanded that we should let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Ref. Matthew 5:16)

Spiritually speaking, we are a direct reflection of who we serve.

There was a day when Jesus was teaching and as he taught, some religious leaders approached him with a woman whom they claimed was caught in the act of adultery, their plan was to trap him into making a statement by which they could bring charges against him. They reminded Christ that according to the law, this woman should be stoned, to which he responded by saying: “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

Jesus continued to teach concerning freedom, but the leaders replied that they were decedents of Abraham and were never slaves. Abraham is our father, they proclaimed. But Jesus responded by saying; if Abraham was your father, then you would love me. He continued to say;

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (Ref. John 8:44)

There was once a street evangelist in the city of Philadelphia who would stand near city hall proclaiming the Gospel of Christ daily. One afternoon she decided to walk through the trains of the subway line. As she entered each car she would say in a very loud voice;

“If you want to see the Devil, just look in the mirror.”

For the born again believer, the word of God serves as a mirror. When we look into the Bible, our spirit man should be a reflection of the very words that we read. Every word which came forth from Christ was alive and carried with them life to live like him and live for him. (Ref. John 6:63)



Our desire should be to represent the Father in such a manner that would bring him ultimate glory. So that when the world sees you, they will also see Jesus living big on the inside of you.

So go ahead, look into the mirror…(The Bible)…Who’s reflection do you see?

Relationship vs. Spirituality and Religion

Definitions:

spir-i-tu-al:(adjective)

1: of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit: incorporeal

2: of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs>

3: concerned with religious values

re-li-gion:(noun)

1 the state of a religious< a nun in her 20th year of religion>

(a): the service and worship of God or the supernatural

(b): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2 a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

How many times have you been involved in conversations concerning Christ, salvation, or church; and someone makes the statement that“: I’m very spiritual”… or…”I’m very religious”…

Please forgive my naivety, but I’ve never really quite understood what those two statements meant. My theory is that when a person makes those kind of statements it refers to either their lack of commitment or refusal to commit to Christ.

The problem is that too many of us, both in church and outside of church think that Christ is looking for their “religious”side. However, allow me to point out that a great many things are tied-up in the name of religion, for example:

·He washes his car religiously

·She goes to the beauty salon religiously

·He watches every game and supports that team religiously

When speaking of religion the Bible says:

“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:26-27 (NLT)

Truthfully speaking, God isn’t looking for you to be religious

To be spiritual as it pertains to this modern culture is one individual’s idea of what they consider to be good enough for God. In other words, 95% of their life is concentrated on their wants and desires, and the remaining 5% is their hand-out to God who unselfishly sacrificed the life of his own son as a ransom for those whom he created. “Self-Justification”

In order to appreciate what Christian spirituality is, we must first clarify what it is not. Christian spirituality is not a gnostic renunciation of the created world, nor the Platonic flight of the soul from the body. The world is the object of God's love (John 3:16), and we are to glorify God in our bodies (Ref. Romans 12:1; 1^st Corinthians 6:19-20).Furthermore, such attitudes fly in the face of appropriating the Christian doctrine of the creation and the incarnation. Spirituality must be practiced inthis world, which God made good (Mark 7:19) and which God is in the process of redeeming (Ref. Romans 8:18-25). As in the Old Testament, spirituality does not imply that one is to flee this world to find God, but that one must find God and grow in grace in this world, even discovering avenues (i.e., spiritual disciplines) in and through the physical realm for spiritual growth.

Christian spirituality begins with our redemption in Christ. We are baptized into Christ: We die to sin and the "old man" and we are made alive to God as a new creation (Ref. Romans 6:3-11; 2^nd Corinthians 5:17). True spirituality, then, is not a human self-help program or a means of justifying ourselves (Ref. Galatians 2:15-21).It begins with a divine call, rebirth, and conversion (Ref. John 3:3-8; Acts 2:38-39) wherein we admit we are helpless to help ourselves in our bondage to sin and enmity with God (Ref. Romans 5:6-11).

With this foundation clearly in mind, Christian spirituality has to do primarily with sanctification. It requires divine grace (first and always) and deliberate human cooperation. It is neither a passive quietism nor a triumphalist activism. (This combination is epitomized by Paul in 1^st Corinthians 15:10). So, spirituality has to do with holiness, which is the restoration of the human person to what he or she was created to be. One could say that holiness involves the recovery of wholeness—the integrity of our lives as they are being restored by the Spirit.

This is a process, depicted by several metaphors in Scripture. We are to be trees whose roots are firmly established in Christ planted by streams of nurturing water (Ref. Ephesians 3:17). We are people of "the Way"—sojourners on a journey (Ref. Acts 9:2; 1^st Peter 2:11). We are "born again" and meant to grow from infancy to adulthood, sustained on a diet of rich spiritual food (Ref. John 3:3; Hebrew 5:12-14).

The goal of the process is to be renewed in holiness, righteousness, and knowledge after the likeness of God (Ref. Ephesians 4:24; Col 3:10), or, what is the same thing, to become more like Jesus Christ by whose stature our maturity is measured (Ref. Ephesians 4:13-16).

In a nutshell, God is looking for relationship that leads to intimacy with his children; not a sexual thing, but a relationship that’s so personal we seek him for answers to our many questions, we study him through his word in order to become better acquainted with him in holiness and righteousness, we communicate with him through our prayer life, we worship him in the beauty of holiness, and we praise him for who he is as opposed to what he’s done.

“But as many as receivedhim, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12

Spirituality, Religion, Relationship….

Of these three, I choose to have relationship with my Savior and Lord; how about you?

Foote Notes:

Reference

 

Internet: BibleGateway.com, StudyLight.com

Scripture: King James Version, and New Living Translation

Definitions: Webster's Dictionary

 

"Freedom Isn't Free"

“Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me

And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free…”

By Lucy Kinchen

____________________________________________________

With February being Black History Month, I take pause to reflect on the many strides made by African American people in our struggle for freedom. To those that know me it should be no surprise that my focus is on the successes made by men of color in the U.S. Military. As I traced the wartime history of this country I was reminded that African American males have defended democracy ever since the American Revolution.

It seems the powers that be had no misgivings when allowing Crispus Attucks to fall from the first shot fired during the Boston Massacre, nor did they hide from us the heroic charge of the 54^th Massachusetts, against the impenetrable Fort Wagner during the Civil War.

Yet when I fast-forward to the Second World War, I’m puzzled at how soon military officials forgot the past contributions and heroics demonstrated by men of color. Although they were allowed to enlist, they were not given permission to fight; at least not in the beginning.

Experiments were conducted at facilities such as Tuskegee Alabama, Montford Point, Camp Mackall North Carolina, and extremely racist Fort Hood Texas. Not only was it believed that these men could not handle the pressures of facing a fierce enemy in heated battle; but they were also incapable of demonstrating the technical intelligence and skill required to operate sophisticated aircraft, and armored vehicles. It was also believed that they couldn’t perform as paratroopers.

None the less, they overcame the steryo-types, and the prejudices to become the best Soldiers, Seaman, Airman, and Marines the world has ever known…So with great pride and honor I salute the Pilots of the 332^nd Attack Squadron, the Sailors of the USS Mason; I salute the efforts of the 761^st Tank Battalion, and the 555^th Paratroopers. I also salute the men who made up the “Red Ball Express” from the 102^nd Division, and last but definitely not least; the Marines of Montford Point.

Those heroic men proved that the freedoms which both they and the United States fought for did not come free or cheap; they paid a high price to achieve it.  

Because of the fight for freedom, you and I are free to live our life in any manner we choose. Speaking for myself, I made the decision that I was gonna live my life to the fullest. Much like me, many of you made the same choice. Suffice it to say, many of us lived as riotous as possible. We were revelers, whoremongers, wine-bibbers, drug-addicts, cussers, brawlers….you name it, and we’ve done it.  

But being wise in our own eyes we failed to see that what we viewed as freedom was actually slavery. How so you ask? Each time we give in to the sinful desires of our flesh, we become slaves to sin; trapped in bondage performing deeds and acts that go against the commandments of a loving God. (Ref. James 1:14)    

Daily we struggle within to overcome our sinful nature. This epic battle has been waged since the beginning of time, causing our spirit man to war against our flesh, and the urge to commit sin in these mortal bodies; therefore by giving in to our flesh, we fail in our effort to please God. (Ref. Genesis 3:15, Galatians 5:17, Romans 8:8)

Thank God for putting a battle plan in place that would utterly destroy every volley sent by the enemy. The plan called for Jesus to willingly sacrifice his life for ours. Thereby canceling the penalty for sin and enabling us to stand firm in our freedom from sins wages. (Ref. Matthew 20:28, John 13:37, 10:17-18, Galatians 5:1, Romans 6:23)

It’s so good to know that the sin debt was already paid on our behalf. Neither General’s MacArthur, Patton, nor even Eisenhower could have drawn up such an intricate plan. Jesus shed his blood for you and I therefore freeing us from eternal damnation. (Ref. 1^st Corinthians 7:23, 6:29)

And while we are now free from sin, believe me when I tell you that….”Freedom isn’t Free”.

     

Follow The Leader

I can hear my Savior calling,
“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me….”

Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

____________________________________________________

One summer when I was 6 years old we moved into a new neighborhood. Normally, moving can have a traumatic effect on a youthful psyche; you know, Change. Usually when you move into new surroundings the transition can be brutal, especially to six and five year old boys.

But to our surprise this move was a good one, we never had to prove how tough we were to anyone, our block was very tightly-knitted together, sort of like family. We had so much fun it seemed like the longest summer of my life.

Making friends was so easy, and it seemed that every morning a bunch of our new friends could be found knocking on the door wanting us to come out and play, and play we did. From climbing trees to playing soldiers or cowboys and Indians, we just had a blast. It was as if we’d always lived there.

One of my favorite games to play was follow the leader. That’s the game where one person does a lot of crazy and sometimes dangerous things, and everyone else duplicates the fete.

 

It seems that everyday our front porch was the meeting place for the crew and either my brother or I would always be out front no matter what game we played or what adventure we were involved in; a simple “follow me” was all the guys needed to hear, and we were off. What was even more amazing is that no matter the situation, these guys followed wherever we went.

In the 4^th Chapter of Matthew, Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Soon after His triumph over the Devil, Jesus heads into Galilee and a few other places; as He walks along by the sea Jesus spots Peter and his brother Andrew and says to them “follow me…” Together the three of them go on a bit further until Jesus sees James and his brother John. He gives them the same command; “follow me…”

Exactly what did Jesus mean by that command, what was His intention?

In this day and age of pop-culture and fads; mankind has become creatures of habit the world over, and are easily enticed to follow after every new thing that looks good, tastes good, or feels good. The problem with this behavior is that not everything this society has to offer is good for man, woman or child. (1^st Corinthians 10:23-24)

Just think about it? Everything Christ-like has become either a target of this society or just simply ignored. Christian truths go against the order of this world’s view of God. Furthermore, what’s good is bad and what’s bad is good.

This kind of attitude can often-times be found in the church. People are following after their own desires and beliefs, but they come to church because it’s a traditional event; most love the singing, the praise; but they despise the word.

Jesus’ intended for His chosen people to follow not just His example, but His life-style of holiness, righteousness; and to follow the commandments of the Father. Sadly enough, many church-folk believe that by just attending a service every now and then, they are doing just enough to please God, they might pray on occasion, and may even casually read the Bible long enough to memorize a couple of scriptures; they may even learn a few churchism’s…

However the thought of truly dedicating their lives to Christ would interfere with their pursuit of life and happiness according to the world’s standards. The fact that their grand-parents or parents took them to church as children, or sent them to Sunday school says that they are religious; and they are, however they lack relationship because in their hearts they’ve conformed to the ways of the more popular culture. A wealthy young man once came to Jesus saying all of the right things but he didn’t quite do all of the right things. Jesus was very precise in telling him that he was lacking in his desire to walk with Jesus, he challenged this man to sell all of his possessions, give the profits to the poor, then take up his cross and follow Christ. However he could not comply and never understood the perfect will of the Father. (Ref. Mark 10:17-22, Romans 12:1-2)

The focus here is not so much on walking with Christ as it is to follow after Him. In my lifetime I’ve walked with a plethora of people, some good and some not so good; but the only individual I ever wanted to follow after was my father. In doing so, I concentrated on just about every aspect of his life; my ultimate goal has always been to emulate him in every way possible. This required me to live and do exactly as he would do. He loved helping people, and so do I, he enjoyed serving, and so do I, most of all, he loved following after Christ and so do I. In fact, many of my ways and habits are a direct result of following dad’s example.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these…” John 5:19-20



I remember the evening that we arrived at Parris Island South Carolina for basic training, we were ordered to stand on the foot-prints that were painted on the ground. By doing so our feet were positioned in a perfect 45 degree angle. By the same manner when we follow after Christ we take a path which ultimately leads to perfection in the ways of holiness, and righteousness.



To follow the leading of the Master means to follow a path of servant hood; this also means that our concentration is no longer on what makes us happy; instead we only seek to make others happy and to please the Father. (Ref. John 12:26, 13:3-7, Philippians 2:5-70

Following after the ways and will of Christ leads us to life everlasting where He has already prepared a mansion for those whom He leads. (Ref. John 14:2-3)

If you are a person who’s been accustomed to following the in-crowd, the ways of the world, the popular culture, let me encourage you to change direction; and follow Jesus.

                    “He’s a mighty good leader!”

Real Love

Definition of “Love”

1.  a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal love for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers, (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates> the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration

2.  a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God

It’s that time of year when florist will be bombarded with delivery requests, candy shops will be emptied as if a famine has hit the land. Reservations will be made at the finest restaurants, and romantic dinners for two will be catered in private homes… Jewelry store orders will be in high demand, and Hallmark will not have enough cards to go around. For this one day, lovers will embrace and drift off into a cupid induced state of euphoria and infatuation. “ALL FOR ONE DAY”

It’s strange to me that this time every year businesses sell-out all in the name of love, but on the days that follow love can so easily run-out… many have asked the age old question:

“WHAT IS LOVE?”

The answers to the question are somewhere in the thousands.

We say that we love, but do we really show it on a consistent basis? Let’s be honest with each other, it’s easy to love our spouses, children, parents, siblings…etc. I can recall times when my brother and I would fight each other like two cowboys in a saloon, but if someone else put their hands on either of us their fate would be soon sealed by the both of us; but that’s me and my brother.

My question to you is this; are you capable of loving your fellow-man “unconditionally?”  I mean do you really have the capacity “Christian”,  to overlook the mistreatment you received at the hand of your supervisor in the workplace; can you get past the harsh words from your next door neighbor… do any of us have the ability to show real love to all of mankind?

I ask this question because it has always been my understanding that we were created in the image and likeness of God, which means that we should also have many of His attributes, the greatest of which is the manner of love that He demonstrates towards us consistently inspite of all our short-comings… “AGAPE”

The love of God for us was not shed abroad for just one day; He loved us from the foundation of the world, and has not changed His mind about how He feels towards you and me; that’s real love.

Why do we find it impossible to truly love one another in these mortal bodies?

Answer: Because we don’t truly love God

How do I know this? God commanded us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength… (Ref. Mark 12:30) This means that each day we should have an already made up mind to honor Him at the very break of dawn with prayer, adoration, and praise… spend some time in his word for a better understanding of who God is; and to know His heart. We should always seek instruction from him in reference to His plans for our day; that’s real love… (Ref. Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:13)  

Those who truly love God have absolutely no problem extending love to others….even to perfect strangers. Our love for God is at the heart of the agape love which comes from His heart to us and enables us to do likewise. God is the epitome and the originator of love which makes us the first recipients of His unconditional love; that’s real love. (Ref. 1^st John 4:19, Luke 10:25-36)

We are constantly told that, love isn’t what it says; it’s what it does… but love is also what it doesn’t do. Real love doesn’t gossip, it doesn’t harbor ill-feelings towards another. Real love doesn’t put itself before or above others; neither does it neglect or overlook someone else. Real love doesn’t behave selfishly, but is always more than ready to give of itself. (Ref. 1^st Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV)

Here is yet another aspect of love; it is able to demonstrate forgiveness and favor despite being manipulated or mistreated; it will sacrifice of itself on the behalf of others. (Ref. Luke 23:34, John 3:16, 15:13)   

The ability to really love is the true indicator that not only do we love God, but we are His true disciples… (Ref. John 13:35)

“And this is love that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” 2^nd John 1:6

So……if you desire to have a real happy valentine’s day…..

“Try Real Love”

EVERYDAY!!!

                                      

Take A Lesson From A Drunkard

A few years ago I was in the presence of one of my favorite pastors. He told me a story about one of the communion services held at his church. It seems that on this particular day while service was going on, a gentleman came into the sanctuary and with his hat in his hand began walking down the aisle towards the communion table.

It was well known that this man was a drunkard, as he was approaching the table the ushers were about to stop him, however this pastor was curious to see just what this gentleman was going to do, so he waived the ushers off.

As the man approached the table he reached into his pockets and pulling them inside-out and removed all of the money that he had. After that he lifted up the cloth covering the sacraments, placed all of his money on the table, and covered everything up. Then he bowed on one knee at the altar, turned to the pastor and acknowledged him by nodding; and then turned around and walked back up the aisle and out of the door.

Amazed by what he’d just witnessed, the pastor began to ask himself the following questions:

·        What were the factors in this man’s life which pushed him into an addiction to alcohol?

·        Where did he learn that level of respect for God?

·        What’s wrong with the church at large that the same level of respect is not practiced in the “House of the Lord?”

There is an indictment against the church because of the blatant disrespect we have for the God of the church and the disregard we demonstrate towards one another.

Listen to what God has to say in Malachi 1:6-9:

“The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?”

“You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD deserves no respect. ⁸ When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”

Jesus once told a woman; God is a Spirit, and anyone who worships Him must do so in Spirit and in truth… (Ref. John 4:24)

Every Sunday churches across the globe are filled with individuals who are only there to clear their conscience. The most unscrupulous, un-repentant people on earth boldly enter into His gates with iniquity in their hearts and into His courts with their minds on the next conquest, whatever that may be, as if they’re asking an Holy God: “We Cool?”

Most have done nothing all week long that even remotely brings glory and honor to His name. Can you imagine the millions who party on Friday, all night on Saturday and then stagger into the sanctuary late to service on Sunday hung-over?

Many pastors, preachers, and deacons arrive on post after having committed adultery or fornication with some weak minded person; in some cases its someone’s wife, daughter, or son. Some are guilty of surfing the internet for pornography.

Yet the sanctuary is filled with people offering up false praise and worship to the King of kings…Together we sing: “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice…” But there are those who have animosity towards a fellow brother or sister in Christ, come into the sanctuary with food, gum, and water as if it is the place for a social gathering, many show little to no respect towards the pastor or any of the church leaders who are making a concretive effort to walk up-right before the Lord. But they came to get their praise on…

Picture this; God is waiting to feast on the praise and worship of His people, but what we present to Him is waste lifted up on a garbage can lid. All week long the flesh is warring against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh which has fallen weak; but people still make the futile attempt to give God left-over praise as if no one has ever taught them how to truly reverence the God who allows us morning, by morning to experience brand new mercies and grant us His grace for another day.

Observe the drunkard…no one rightfully knows what drove him to that state. He could have lost a loved one and never recovered from the loss, perhaps his marriage/family broke-up, maybe a doctor informed him that he has a condition which is terminal. But whatever the case may be, this man still had enough respect for God and the house of God to give Him reverence.

Notice that he also left an offering at the table of everything he had before he turned and walked out. This man respected God so much that he didn’t even linger in the presence of God in a state of drunkenness. But so many “church-folk” will continue to occupy the pews as unclean and unrepentant as can be; and still try offering to God filth-covered praise.

God gladly will accept praise that comes from a spirit that’s broken and worship from a heart of contrition.

(Ref. Psalm 51:17, 34:18)

So learn from the drunkard; honor and respect God, repent, and let your light shine so that the God in you is revealed to the world and before you leave the table, leave an offering.

(Ref. Luke 15:7, Acts 8:22, 1^st John 1:9, 2^nd Corinthians 9:6-8)