July 26th 2020
Love Is Still Available Through That Truly Perfect Stranger, Known To Mankind, As Jesus Christ.
Luke 14:25-27 (NLT)
Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.”
The NLT version was chosen for this commentary, because it seems to better express what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The bothersome word for me in most of the other modern versions of the Bible is the word “hate”, and the NLT the translators chose to use instead the word(s) “love me more than.” Today, in the USA people usually use the word hate to mean without love at all! In other words, you either love or hate someone, there is no middle ground considered!
Do not get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting the translators got it wrong, it is more of a recent change in how we view each other in this country today, and how most people now look at each other in the USA! Today, it seems we can either love other people or hate them, there is no real acceptance of people as they are and allow them to exist as they chose and still love them. We could love them because God created them, and the society they live under shaped them into what they believe and whether they can love other of God’s children, because God knows best! Many different societies exist in the world, and many different societies are present in the USA today. This has always been true to some extent, but today there is more diversity than ever in the USA!
The biggest difference today seems to be that everyone seems to express themselves as the only society that is the correct one! Some of these societies teach their children to not trust anyone who is not exactly like them, and even that these people must also live in their neighborhood. In such hoods, even if one their own joins the police or firefighters, then they are no longer considered to be part of this society, and thus, they cannot be trusted. I do not write of this through inside knowledge, so my views are being formed based on observance from the outside, and is thus somewhat questionable. In such a society, it’s children are taught to never cooperate with law enforcement people because they are outsiders, and they cannot be trusted. It makes me wonder how Jesus fits into such a society?
In the selected verse for this commentary, Jesus tells those who want to follow Him that they must “love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life.” Trust can only be built on love, sharing a hatred of other members of mankind cannot ever produce anything but more hatred, and result in chaos, if it is not quelled. We see this kind of chaos occurring more and more every day in life in the USA, and of course, we see it magnified around the world. Some parts of society are teaching their children to kill anyone who does not accept their religious belief system. We see such beliefs causing people to resort to terrorist plots to kill anyone they can, and to consider no one to be innocent, so a well-placed bomb to kill as many people as possible is a good deed!
The stark realities of this modern world are not easy to write about, and are not very cheering to read about. It is always the intent of writing the VOW to help the readers be positively affected by this commentary each week, and to help them feel good about this wonderful world we find ourselves living in today. It is my opinion that no true peace can be obtained by anyone who is living outside of the grace offered by taking on Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior! To know that your immortal soul will transfer from this life into a better life, one of sharing everything with Jesus, is just too wonderful to grasp, but through faith it does indeed set you free from the failures of this dog-eat-dog world!
John wrote about a way for us to find it in our heart to love everyone, even if they refuse to even like us. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:8-10). The key to loving other members of mankind, is coming to know Jesus, not just to know about Him, but for you to come to know Him! “To know, know, know Him is to Love, love, love Him, and I do!” If everyone believed this and could sing such a song, this world would be a wonderful place, but not everyone will ever believe this in this present world!
Please believe it there is going to be a new world where everyone will love everyone else, and then, we would all sing the praises of Jesus. In this world of today though, we are offered the position of a follower of Jesus, and then we can possibly improve this world by helping others become His followers too. Remember what Jesus said about being a follower of His. "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life.” So, work on building a love for Jesus that will cause you to love Him more than any other human being, especially those whom you love the most.
The writer of Proverbs wrote about hatred as compared to love, and the wonderful difference. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12). So, the world has not really changed that much since Old Testament times until now. You can choose to be part of the dissension in this world, or you can choose love. So, choose God, because God/Jesus is love! Then tell someone why you love them, even though they may choose to hate you! It could cause them to be able to choose to love you too! If you are too proud to try share your joy through Jesus with that perfect stranger, then there will be no opportunity for them to find peace. The writer of Proverbs wrote about how wisdom comes to any member of mankind. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2). Can you be humble enough to gain wisdom?
Our country is going through trying times, as this world seems to be spiraling down through the growth of hatred. However, love is still available through that truly perfect stranger, known to mankind, as Jesus Christ. You can choose to become part of the hatred, or you can attempt to express the true love of Jesus, and let those you tell also have Jesus as a possible choice too.
This VOW was originally Sent: Friday, May 26, 2017, and is being repeated today. The key word in this commentary is chaos, but the key to peace is Jesus Christ, Who is LOVE! We still remain in a phase of chaos in this country today, but there are glimmers of hope all around us, as we see people coming to the aid of those who are still being repressed. Tell someone how having Jesus Christ to guide your life has allowed you to have peace amid the latest chaotic environment in this still great country.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Luke 14:25-27 (NLT)
Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.”
The NLT version was chosen for this commentary, because it seems to better express what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The bothersome word for me in most of the other modern versions of the Bible is the word “hate”, and the NLT the translators chose to use instead the word(s) “love me more than.” Today, in the USA people usually use the word hate to mean without love at all! In other words, you either love or hate someone, there is no middle ground considered!
Do not get me wrong here, I’m not suggesting the translators got it wrong, it is more of a recent change in how we view each other in this country today, and how most people now look at each other in the USA! Today, it seems we can either love other people or hate them, there is no real acceptance of people as they are and allow them to exist as they chose and still love them. We could love them because God created them, and the society they live under shaped them into what they believe and whether they can love other of God’s children, because God knows best! Many different societies exist in the world, and many different societies are present in the USA today. This has always been true to some extent, but today there is more diversity than ever in the USA!
The biggest difference today seems to be that everyone seems to express themselves as the only society that is the correct one! Some of these societies teach their children to not trust anyone who is not exactly like them, and even that these people must also live in their neighborhood. In such hoods, even if one their own joins the police or firefighters, then they are no longer considered to be part of this society, and thus, they cannot be trusted. I do not write of this through inside knowledge, so my views are being formed based on observance from the outside, and is thus somewhat questionable. In such a society, it’s children are taught to never cooperate with law enforcement people because they are outsiders, and they cannot be trusted. It makes me wonder how Jesus fits into such a society?
In the selected verse for this commentary, Jesus tells those who want to follow Him that they must “love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life.” Trust can only be built on love, sharing a hatred of other members of mankind cannot ever produce anything but more hatred, and result in chaos, if it is not quelled. We see this kind of chaos occurring more and more every day in life in the USA, and of course, we see it magnified around the world. Some parts of society are teaching their children to kill anyone who does not accept their religious belief system. We see such beliefs causing people to resort to terrorist plots to kill anyone they can, and to consider no one to be innocent, so a well-placed bomb to kill as many people as possible is a good deed!
The stark realities of this modern world are not easy to write about, and are not very cheering to read about. It is always the intent of writing the VOW to help the readers be positively affected by this commentary each week, and to help them feel good about this wonderful world we find ourselves living in today. It is my opinion that no true peace can be obtained by anyone who is living outside of the grace offered by taking on Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior! To know that your immortal soul will transfer from this life into a better life, one of sharing everything with Jesus, is just too wonderful to grasp, but through faith it does indeed set you free from the failures of this dog-eat-dog world!
John wrote about a way for us to find it in our heart to love everyone, even if they refuse to even like us. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:8-10). The key to loving other members of mankind, is coming to know Jesus, not just to know about Him, but for you to come to know Him! “To know, know, know Him is to Love, love, love Him, and I do!” If everyone believed this and could sing such a song, this world would be a wonderful place, but not everyone will ever believe this in this present world!
Please believe it there is going to be a new world where everyone will love everyone else, and then, we would all sing the praises of Jesus. In this world of today though, we are offered the position of a follower of Jesus, and then we can possibly improve this world by helping others become His followers too. Remember what Jesus said about being a follower of His. "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life.” So, work on building a love for Jesus that will cause you to love Him more than any other human being, especially those whom you love the most.
The writer of Proverbs wrote about hatred as compared to love, and the wonderful difference. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12). So, the world has not really changed that much since Old Testament times until now. You can choose to be part of the dissension in this world, or you can choose love. So, choose God, because God/Jesus is love! Then tell someone why you love them, even though they may choose to hate you! It could cause them to be able to choose to love you too! If you are too proud to try share your joy through Jesus with that perfect stranger, then there will be no opportunity for them to find peace. The writer of Proverbs wrote about how wisdom comes to any member of mankind. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2). Can you be humble enough to gain wisdom?
Our country is going through trying times, as this world seems to be spiraling down through the growth of hatred. However, love is still available through that truly perfect stranger, known to mankind, as Jesus Christ. You can choose to become part of the hatred, or you can attempt to express the true love of Jesus, and let those you tell also have Jesus as a possible choice too.
This VOW was originally Sent: Friday, May 26, 2017, and is being repeated today. The key word in this commentary is chaos, but the key to peace is Jesus Christ, Who is LOVE! We still remain in a phase of chaos in this country today, but there are glimmers of hope all around us, as we see people coming to the aid of those who are still being repressed. Tell someone how having Jesus Christ to guide your life has allowed you to have peace amid the latest chaotic environment in this still great country.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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