April 10th 2022
Are You Ready To Take That Love Flight Offered By Jesus To All Those He Loved Enough To Die For?
John 13:34-35 (NIV)
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Are you attempting to become a disciple of Jesus Christ? Do all disciples of Jesus Christ try to love other people as Jesus did when He walked this earth as a man? In the selected verses Jesus is talking to His disciples and giving them an important command. He said, "A new command I give you: Love one another.” Next Jesus tells them that they (we) must show love toward each other as He has demonstrated to them (us). As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Then Jesus tells us that this is how other people will know we are His followers. As Jesus states, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
In this world today we do not see any real indication that people love each other. At least, we see more violence and less love every day. However, it is still obvious that people who profess to be Christians do still show mercy toward people they observe to be suffering. This does give true followers of Jesus hope that there is still a remnant that is following Jesus and they are trying to show mercy and be willing to help others who are in some distress.
What is love? This is not an easy question to answer, as love can take many forms, based on the need for it to be expressed. With this question in mind, as I attempt to write this VOW, I searched my online Bible for “Love is” and received several verses that will be used here to write this commentary. Paul supplies the first verse about “love is the fulfilment of the law.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. (Romans 13:10). So, here Paul is bringing in the neighbor, as the selected verses were about loving each other, who are all believers.
Next Paul writes about love as being patient and kind. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4). To see this verse in context, look at (1 Corinthians 13:1-8a). Paul goes on to describe what true love is not. As he writes, “It (love)
does not envy, It (love) does not boast, it (love) is not proud.” Today we see groups that profess pride in their selection of who they love and have sexual relations with. Today we hear about sexual relationships as the starting of love, but it seems God tells us that love must come first, and then result in sexual relations only in marriage.
The next few verses were supplied for us by John from his love letters in the book of 1 John. John focuses on obedience to God’s Word will result in Jesus’ followers trying to emulate Jesus in this cursed world. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:5-6). We can try to emulate Jesus in this world, but for us to be able to maintain a loving attitude toward others we must allow the Holy Spirit to direct our thoughts in a loving manner.
John next teaches us to be willing to offer sacrificial actions to try to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16). Hopefully, we are never required “to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Many people have been put in a situation where they did become martyrs for their faith. We need to pray that such situations will not become realistic in the USA!
John wrote about how faith in Jesus/God allows us to become a loving person by taking on God’s love into our heart. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12). Is God’s love being made complete in you? Jesus told us that we are not just to love those who love us, but that we must even love those who choose to be our enemies.
John then wrote about how this complete love we develop through Jesus Christ will result in guiding us onto that narrow path that leads us toward heaven. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (1 John 4:17). In this world we are to try to become Christ-like by taking on His love of our neighbor. Are you trying to surround yourself with believers so you can learn from them and share your love with them?
The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote about how we need to spur on other believers, and thus, be spurred on by them. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is disagreement about if these verses are spurring us toward regular attendance at a church of our choice, but I believe that is the only way we should read it. What do you think it means?
The following verses describe the Rapture and how Jesus Christ will someday come to this earth and take away all the believers still living on the cursed world. Believers who have already died will come with Him, and those still alive will fly up to meet Him/them in the sky. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
Are you ready to take that love flight offered by Jesus to all those He loved enough to die for? If you believe it will happen, do what Paul taught us to do now, “encourage each other with these words.” Jesus died to free our immortal soul from the curse of this world, “And so we will be with the Lord for ever.”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
John 13:34-35 (NIV)
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Are you attempting to become a disciple of Jesus Christ? Do all disciples of Jesus Christ try to love other people as Jesus did when He walked this earth as a man? In the selected verses Jesus is talking to His disciples and giving them an important command. He said, "A new command I give you: Love one another.” Next Jesus tells them that they (we) must show love toward each other as He has demonstrated to them (us). As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Then Jesus tells us that this is how other people will know we are His followers. As Jesus states, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
In this world today we do not see any real indication that people love each other. At least, we see more violence and less love every day. However, it is still obvious that people who profess to be Christians do still show mercy toward people they observe to be suffering. This does give true followers of Jesus hope that there is still a remnant that is following Jesus and they are trying to show mercy and be willing to help others who are in some distress.
What is love? This is not an easy question to answer, as love can take many forms, based on the need for it to be expressed. With this question in mind, as I attempt to write this VOW, I searched my online Bible for “Love is” and received several verses that will be used here to write this commentary. Paul supplies the first verse about “love is the fulfilment of the law.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. (Romans 13:10). So, here Paul is bringing in the neighbor, as the selected verses were about loving each other, who are all believers.
Next Paul writes about love as being patient and kind. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4). To see this verse in context, look at (1 Corinthians 13:1-8a). Paul goes on to describe what true love is not. As he writes, “It (love)
does not envy, It (love) does not boast, it (love) is not proud.” Today we see groups that profess pride in their selection of who they love and have sexual relations with. Today we hear about sexual relationships as the starting of love, but it seems God tells us that love must come first, and then result in sexual relations only in marriage.
The next few verses were supplied for us by John from his love letters in the book of 1 John. John focuses on obedience to God’s Word will result in Jesus’ followers trying to emulate Jesus in this cursed world. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:5-6). We can try to emulate Jesus in this world, but for us to be able to maintain a loving attitude toward others we must allow the Holy Spirit to direct our thoughts in a loving manner.
John next teaches us to be willing to offer sacrificial actions to try to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16). Hopefully, we are never required “to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Many people have been put in a situation where they did become martyrs for their faith. We need to pray that such situations will not become realistic in the USA!
John wrote about how faith in Jesus/God allows us to become a loving person by taking on God’s love into our heart. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12). Is God’s love being made complete in you? Jesus told us that we are not just to love those who love us, but that we must even love those who choose to be our enemies.
John then wrote about how this complete love we develop through Jesus Christ will result in guiding us onto that narrow path that leads us toward heaven. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (1 John 4:17). In this world we are to try to become Christ-like by taking on His love of our neighbor. Are you trying to surround yourself with believers so you can learn from them and share your love with them?
The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote about how we need to spur on other believers, and thus, be spurred on by them. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is disagreement about if these verses are spurring us toward regular attendance at a church of our choice, but I believe that is the only way we should read it. What do you think it means?
The following verses describe the Rapture and how Jesus Christ will someday come to this earth and take away all the believers still living on the cursed world. Believers who have already died will come with Him, and those still alive will fly up to meet Him/them in the sky. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
Are you ready to take that love flight offered by Jesus to all those He loved enough to die for? If you believe it will happen, do what Paul taught us to do now, “encourage each other with these words.” Jesus died to free our immortal soul from the curse of this world, “And so we will be with the Lord for ever.”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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