Love Your Neighbor

“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you Light.” (Ephesians 5:14) Earlier this week I was thinking and praying about (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” As I was contemplating this verse and its meaning praying to God for direction the Holy Spirit said: “To love the Lord is to believe in Me Jesus Christ and to trust in Me alone for salvation, to love your neighbor is to tell them there is salvation alone in Jesus Christ.” I have to tell you this message and the understanding that it brought completely floored me, it made total since. It brought all new meaning to the statement: “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” You see everything in the Bible told of Jesus Christ, all the prophets leading back to Moses told of the coming of the Savior the one who would save the world. The Bible says: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) You can’t love God and not trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord! I am a sinner, I have broken God’s laws the Bible says that sin is breaking God’s law (1 John 3:4). “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) God loves us, he presented Jesus the sinless Lamb of God as the sacrifice for our sin. People are made right with God when you believe and trust that Jesus sacrificed himself in place for your sins. So love Jesus Christ today and trust Him as your savior.

The last thing Christ said before he ascended into heaven was a command. Not a wish list, not a do this if you feel like it, but a command. He said: “Go into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) So if you are saved by Jesus Christ and you love him, love other people by telling them that there is salvation from their sins. Tell People about Jesus Christ. Tell them what he has done for you and the love you have for Him. Tell them before it is too late; “each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) If you know how to escape punishment and you don’t tell other people how unloving is that? You might say I’m too shy or scared; I can promise you know one is shyer than me! I can attest since I’ve begun witnessing for Christ and loving people by telling them the good news, I have never been so liberated. Read your Bible nothing can give you more confidence than knowing the word of God but even if you don’t know God’s word you know that you love the Lord and you know what He has done for you so tell people about that. And you’re not alone Jesus promised to go with us, He said: “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15) So follow his command, go out and spread the good news, love somebody and tell them about Jesus.

Wealth

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Luke 12:33-34) This verse has absolutely nothing to do with giving to the poor or helping those in need. You see, it has everything to do with yourself, what is important to you. When Jesus said this He just got through telling the parable of (the Rich Fool) that spent his life gathering positions and wealth and right when he thought he had everything, he died. You see, the spirit of what He was saying then and what He says to us all today is, don’t worry so much about this life the things here just don’t matter. Jesus said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:33) God promises to take care of you, do you believe that He can and will. “Don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” (Luke 12:29-31) Paul said it in a wonderful way in his letter to the Hebrews he said: “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Don’t you see that the pursuit of wealth is a fool’s game? It is a lie! If you spend your whole life pursuing wealth and you actually get it what have you gained?

The Bible says that King Solomon was the richest man to ever live and he had a lot to say about this. “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10) “We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.” (Ecclesiastes 5:15) This coming from a man whom in his life had more riches than anyone before or since, then evaluating his life at the end looks back and says “the pursuit of wealth is futility.” In (Ecclesiastes 6:9) he said to conclude this and suggest what you should pursue instead: “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless-like chasing the wind.” Our country and the individual people in it have a serious debt problem all brought on by this same way of thinking. Instead of being happy with what God has given us, the people of this land have pursued after more and more and are now in debt. Our government is in debt, people are in debt, and even our churches are in debt. I can’t find even one verse in the Bible where God used debt to build anything and I can’t even find one verse where debt is mentioned in a positive way, every single time debt is mentioned it is mentioned in a negative way. To me one verse says it all: “The borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)

Why are our government, our people, and our churches in debt? Because deep down some way you believe the lie that wealth and things will make you happy and it can’t, true happiness is in a rich and fulfilling relationship with the author of life Jesus Christ. Seek Him above all else and you will be more rich and fulfilled than you can possibly imagine. So what did the Lord mean when he said: “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven!”? Whatever is in your life that is taking His place, get rid of it! God wants’ first place in your life, He loves you, He sent His son Jesus to die for you. “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul? (Mark 9:36) So don’t worry about the things of this world, it is all futility. If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life then I encourage you to do so now. “He stands at the door of your heart and knocks: (Revelation 3:20) Pray to Him confess your sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. You are not alone “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). He alone can save and you will begin a relationship that is worth more than all the riches of the world. And if he is your Lord talk with Him daily read His word daily. I can testify to the fact that it is so good, my heart’s desire is for you to know the Love God has for you.

God Bless,
Mike

GOD LOVES YOU

Jesus said: “the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7) Earlier this week on Thursday we had finished up work with an hour to spare. It was payday and every payday I splurge in treating myself to a Starbucks coffee. But since we were done early I thought I would instead walk over to the coffee shop that is in a separate building attached to the hospital I work in. When I left my department in the hallway there was a nurse and a man conversing I heard it mentioned that he was looking for the GI lab. I told him “I will take you over there I’m headed that direction.” As we walked he began rambling on and on I could tell that he was upset. He was crippled, in his left hand he gripped tightly a drink with his index finger and thumb all the other fingers where missing, in his right hand he gripped a mangled hamburger with pieces dropping out of it, he walked as though his legs where crippled. This man had evidently at sometime in the past been in a terrible accident. As we walked through the tunnel that connected the main hospital and the North Park building he continued to ramble without even a pause in his speech. At one point he said: “We got here at 7:00am and now it’s 3:00pm I missed breakfast I missed lunch we were just waiting and waiting so I left to find some food and they called and said my wife is done now I don’t know where it is I’m lost people keep telling me where to go and I get more lost.” We entered the building and I saw the directory telling me where the GI lab was, we got on the elevator I pushed the button for the 4th floor and he was still rambling on and on without even a pause I wanted to talk with him and encourage him but there wasn’t even a pause to allow me to do so. The elevator door opened and he said: “this is it I can’t believe it this is it.” I began to talk through his rambling and I looked at him and said: “I know that you’re going through a lot, God knows your name He knows everything about you and He loves you.” He looked at me and big tears began swelling up in his eyes and he said: “God does love me doesn’t He?” I shook my head and said: “yes He does!” He put his hand to his chest and said: “He knows every hair on my head and knows all of my thoughts doesn’t He?” I said: “Yes He does, God loves you!”

He ministered to me or more that day than I ministered to him. God truly does love each and every one of us with more love than you can imagine. (John 3:16) says: “For God loved the world so much that he gave His one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us so much that He sacrificed His son in our place. (2 Peter 3:10) says: “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” God loves you, that is the reason for the cross. The cross is the greatest expression of love the world has ever known or ever will. Some see the cross as there enemy, the cross isn’t your enemy the cross is your friend the cross is where God said to all the people of the world I love you, I lay down my life for you. Jesus said in (John 15:13) “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus wants to be your friend He loves you. He said in (Revelation 3:20) “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Jesus loves you and he stands at the door of your heart and knocks all you have to do is let Him in. He has paid the price for all of your sins because He loves you.

Love

God as wonderful and mysterious as he is, how would you describe him? Not that you could ever put God into a box because there are things of God that are secret he is so vast that our finite minds cannot even begin to grasp Him. The Bible says "God is Love." (1John 4:8) "God is Love" all of the love that exist in the world came from the creator God because "God is Love". It is his very character to love. God created the universe because of love and even though man rejected Him He has provided us a way out of this evil world because of His love. God Himself came in the man Jesus Christ and died a sinner’s death on the cross for a crime he didn’t commit; he took upon Himself your sins and mine. That my friend is love! “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) God offers everlasting life to all who will receive it and all you have to do is repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. No longer trust in your own goodness but trust in the goodness of Jesus to save you on the Day of Judgment and admit you are a sinner you’ve broken God’s commands. Jesus said in (Luke 24:47) “There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.” If you do that you will move from death to life and will receive the Holy Spirit of God. God’s very own Spirit will come into you and make a home with you. “And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.” (1 John 4:13)

“God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” (1John 4:16) I’m not talking about the kind of love the world has but I’m talking about a perfect love that defies all understanding. I’m talking about a kind of love that a human being is only capable of when you have the spirit of God living in you. People will often say that they love a certain person but what they really mean is they like the way that person makes me feel. The Bible says it’s easy to love someone who loves you or is kind to you. (Luke 6:32) But Jesus said to love everyone. Everyone! Is that possible to love everyone no matter who they are what they say how they think their belief system no matter how they look. Jesus said to “love your enemy! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.” (Luke 6:27-28) Are we cable of this kind of love? Left to our own devises we are not, human beings all of us are selfish self seeking people bent on satisfying our own wants and desires. “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.” (Romans 16:18 NKJV) So are we cable of following the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31) Are we capable of loving everyone? By ourselves I say no but if you are a child of God you have The Spirit of God living in you. If “God is Love” then you are capable of unspeakable amounts of love for all people. Jesus Said: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)