October 9th 2016
Love Is? Whoever Does Not Love Does Not Know God, Because God Is Love. (1John 4:8)
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love is seeing the good in a friend, although your friend is not a good person! Love is seeking a relationship with another person without any real expectation that they will desire a relationship with you. Love is being a friend to another person not really expecting to gain anything for yourself from such relationship! Love is finding out that one of your family members has defended you against a friend of theirs, when you did not really believe your sibling really liked you! Love is being willing to fall on a hand-grenade and die to protect the other members of a team or squad. 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. (1John 3:16)
Love is not found by giving yourself sexually to another person whom you have not already established a loving relationship with! The sexual attraction was created by God to propagate the growth of a population in both animals and in mankind. This attraction is naturally experienced between a male and a female, it was designed to result in pregnancy in the female. Any other reason for sexual relations is only for the pleasure of the individuals involved in it, it is never really an act of true love. All such relationships are considered by God as unnatural and thus are forbidden!
Paul wrote about why God allowed such relationships to form, because the people involved had turned their worship from God to created things and/or people. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is for ever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (Romans 1:25-27)
Paul terms these relationships as “indecent” and as a “perversion. Paul also noted that such people have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” Paul again states, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.” The Psalmist wrote about how we as, followers of God should “walk continually in your truth.” Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. (Ps 26:2-3) In the love chapter Paul wrote “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:6-8a) This love that never fails is reflecting the true love extended to mankind by God, through Jesus Christ!
Political Correctness tells us we are not to try and change people who have chosen such a lifestyle, as they have the right to choose to live this way, and there is no societal law against it! However, as Christians we have to try to abide by the law of the land, but we cannot defer strictly to these laws of mankind, over the laws of God, which we must follow in this life too. We are to emulate Jesus in this lifetime, and certainly we cannot believe Jesus would intentionally elect to live in rebellion to God’s laws as defined for us through The Word of God, AKA the Bible! Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me. (John 14:23-24, NLT)
If you are truly trying to be a follower of Jesus, then you have been commanded to tell everyone you come into contact with the Good News! It is good news because knowing it leads those who embrace it to heaven when they leave this lifetime! In the above paragraph it says, “Jesus replied” and following is the question to which Jesus responded. Jesus first said, “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them." Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, "Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?" (John 14:21-22, NLT) Note what Jesus said in His response above, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." It is possible for people to want to change their chosen lifestyle, if they accept Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and then realize they are not doing WWJD!
Being able to do what the laws of the land allow does not guarantee fulfillment, or give you peace, only true love allows obtaining peace through God’s laws. Paul wrote about how God’s law is based on His perfect love. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. (Romans 13:10) If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 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. (1John 4:15-17)
Did you note what John wrote in the above verses, “because in this world we are like him.” Every person who elects to follow Jesus has been changed in their desires, so that they no longer comply with the consensus of those who choose to remain worldly in their desires and attitudes! Have you sensed this change in what you now decide to do in your everyday lifestyles? Just because you can lie or cheat and get by with it, should no longer mean that you will feel okay with this, and think of it as a means to freedom! Down deep we all know what is right and what is wrong! Recently, I was standing in line to pay for something, and the man in front of me made a strange statement. He said, “well what do I know about anything”, “I’m just an angry gay man!” I wanted to witness to him right there on the spot, but did not know how to start the conversation! Sorry, Jesus! Why was there anger so intense in this man’s mind?
Every member of mankind is made in the image and likeness of God, and we each have a freewill, thus we can choose how we will conduct our lives. We can deny that God even exists, but we really all know down deep that God does exist! Atheists have developed a religion which excludes God as a possibility, and they live in a reality that must exclude any god or gods! God seeks everyone and shows us all the real reality that must include Him, but God also allows all of us a freewill, which even allows dismissing Him as a possibility! For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love is seeing the good in a friend, although your friend is not a good person! Love is seeking a relationship with another person without any real expectation that they will desire a relationship with you. Love is being a friend to another person not really expecting to gain anything for yourself from such relationship! Love is finding out that one of your family members has defended you against a friend of theirs, when you did not really believe your sibling really liked you! Love is being willing to fall on a hand-grenade and die to protect the other members of a team or squad. 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. (1John 3:16)
Love is not found by giving yourself sexually to another person whom you have not already established a loving relationship with! The sexual attraction was created by God to propagate the growth of a population in both animals and in mankind. This attraction is naturally experienced between a male and a female, it was designed to result in pregnancy in the female. Any other reason for sexual relations is only for the pleasure of the individuals involved in it, it is never really an act of true love. All such relationships are considered by God as unnatural and thus are forbidden!
Paul wrote about why God allowed such relationships to form, because the people involved had turned their worship from God to created things and/or people. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is for ever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (Romans 1:25-27)
Paul terms these relationships as “indecent” and as a “perversion. Paul also noted that such people have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” Paul again states, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.” The Psalmist wrote about how we as, followers of God should “walk continually in your truth.” Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. (Ps 26:2-3) In the love chapter Paul wrote “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:6-8a) This love that never fails is reflecting the true love extended to mankind by God, through Jesus Christ!
Political Correctness tells us we are not to try and change people who have chosen such a lifestyle, as they have the right to choose to live this way, and there is no societal law against it! However, as Christians we have to try to abide by the law of the land, but we cannot defer strictly to these laws of mankind, over the laws of God, which we must follow in this life too. We are to emulate Jesus in this lifetime, and certainly we cannot believe Jesus would intentionally elect to live in rebellion to God’s laws as defined for us through The Word of God, AKA the Bible! Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me. (John 14:23-24, NLT)
If you are truly trying to be a follower of Jesus, then you have been commanded to tell everyone you come into contact with the Good News! It is good news because knowing it leads those who embrace it to heaven when they leave this lifetime! In the above paragraph it says, “Jesus replied” and following is the question to which Jesus responded. Jesus first said, “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them." Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, "Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?" (John 14:21-22, NLT) Note what Jesus said in His response above, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them." It is possible for people to want to change their chosen lifestyle, if they accept Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and then realize they are not doing WWJD!
Being able to do what the laws of the land allow does not guarantee fulfillment, or give you peace, only true love allows obtaining peace through God’s laws. Paul wrote about how God’s law is based on His perfect love. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. (Romans 13:10) If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 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. (1John 4:15-17)
Did you note what John wrote in the above verses, “because in this world we are like him.” Every person who elects to follow Jesus has been changed in their desires, so that they no longer comply with the consensus of those who choose to remain worldly in their desires and attitudes! Have you sensed this change in what you now decide to do in your everyday lifestyles? Just because you can lie or cheat and get by with it, should no longer mean that you will feel okay with this, and think of it as a means to freedom! Down deep we all know what is right and what is wrong! Recently, I was standing in line to pay for something, and the man in front of me made a strange statement. He said, “well what do I know about anything”, “I’m just an angry gay man!” I wanted to witness to him right there on the spot, but did not know how to start the conversation! Sorry, Jesus! Why was there anger so intense in this man’s mind?
Every member of mankind is made in the image and likeness of God, and we each have a freewill, thus we can choose how we will conduct our lives. We can deny that God even exists, but we really all know down deep that God does exist! Atheists have developed a religion which excludes God as a possibility, and they live in a reality that must exclude any god or gods! God seeks everyone and shows us all the real reality that must include Him, but God also allows all of us a freewill, which even allows dismissing Him as a possibility! For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak