Unfeigned Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

through it all with brotherly love

Through it all with brotherly love.

There is no greater force than love. If two people truly love each other, they will do anything for the other. For, there is no greater bond on earth than true love. And, how much more true is this of the love that is to exist between believers of Christ. When we immerse ourselves into the words of God, we find a love that exists between brethren, which is unlike that which the world knows. And, Peter states that our souls are to be pure so that we can have unfeigned love of each other stemming from a pure heart (1 Pet. 1:22).

This love is Philadelphian love, which is a very special kind of love and rarely ever used in the Bible (12 times). Brotherly love as it is known, is a love that consists of the glow of the heart kindled by the perception of that in the object that affords us pleasure. It is the response of the human soul to what appeals to it as pleasurable. Philadelphian is a word used to speak of a friendly affection. It is a love called out of one in response to a feeling of pleasure or delight which one experiences from an apprehension of qualifies in another that furnish such pleasure or delight. And, it is this love:

  • That binds one another together as a family, as a brotherly clan.
  • That binds one another in an unbreakable union.
  • That holds one another ever so deeply within the heart.
  • That knows deep affection for one another.
  • That nourishes and nurtures one another.
  • That shows concern and looks after the welfare of one another.

Thus, Peter states we are to have this unfeigned love, that is, a love that is genuine, sincere, without pretension, hypocrisy, or play–‐ acting (Rom. 12:9). We are not to pretend, play, and act like we love one another; we are to love one another genuinely and sincerely. This is important that we love in this way because 1 Pet. 1:22 Points out the command to love with a pure heart “fervently”. This word does not mean to just love in warmth, but with full intensity. It literally implies to stretch love fully out or to love one another in an all out manner. And, we love because we have purified our souls (v.22), because we are born again by the Word of God (v.23) and because our flesh withers and falls away (v.24–‐25).

Believers love one another because God has purified our souls and cleansed us of sin. We are forgiven through the majestic blood of Christ. We are free from guilt and the pollutions of the world. And, we stand before God, in a right relationship with him because we have been obedient to him. It is in this spirit that we each have the capability to love people with a clean and pure heart, with no restraint, no hiding behind bushes, and no thought of shame or weakness. Therefore, love one another in the freedom of a pure and clean soul.

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What is Your Goal?

Pursuing Your Goals?

what are your goals

What Are Your Goals?

As an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan I was delighted that “we” won the National Championship last Monday night against the University of Oregon. In a three game stretch the Buckeyes shutout the Wisconsin Badgers 56 – 0 in the Big Ten Championship; defeated the then #1 team in the nation, the University of Alabama, in the Sugar Bowl 42 – 35; and then defeated the Ducks 42 – 20. What impressed most people about this amazing finish to the Buckeye’s season was that they won all three games with their third string quarterback, Cardale Jones. The most impressive thing however was that these three games were not only the three biggest games of Cardale’s college career, they were the only games he had ever started for the Buckeyes. On the largest stages of collegiate athletics Cardale Jones not only won those games, but did so with such skill and poise that many thought he would forgo any further time in college to enter the pro football draft.

Cardale had said, “In my personal opinion, I’m not ready for that level.” But as is the case with many young people when faced with the prospect of fame and fortune one’s judgment can become quickly blurred. It was announced (via his own twitter feed) on Thursday, the deadline by which Cardale had to declare whether or not he would make himself available for the NFL draft, that there would be a press conference that he would be announcing a “Life changing decision at 4pm.” This lead to a fury of speculation that the young quarterback was bolting for the NFL. My friend Terry wrote on Facebook that he seemed inevitable now that Cardale was leaving (As I write this I checked Terry’s Facebook page and his prognostication has since been deleted).

His decision? “My decision was very simple,” Jones said. “I’m gonna return next year for school.” WHAT?! How could you pass up all that fame and fortune? Cardale said he wanted to finish his education. And when the time came to play in the NFL, if it does come, he will be able to concentrate on the job at hand. “I want to make sure I meet all my goals,” Jones said. A more mature press conference I have never seen.

As Christians today, many become distracted by the fleeting rewards of this life. Many too quickly give up an eternal reward for the temporal fame and fortune of this life. Paul said, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8 – 14).

This past week I was also inspired by two fine young Christian men who took a stand against worldliness and gave up roles in a school play that would have caused them to compromise their Christianity. Both are talented actors and singers and would certainly have been lauded for their performances, but at what cost? I am reminded of the Hebrew writer who spoke of Moses saying that he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24 – 26).

The goal of every Christian, indeed every man, should be to live a life that is pleasing to God and which is rewarded with eternal life in heaven. I certainly want to be the best husband, father, friend, brother and neighbor that I can be. But I cannot be any of those things if I am not first, and foremost, the Christian God expects me to be (Ecclesiastes 12:13). My goal? I want to hear those sweet words of welcome, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21, 23). What is your goal?

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Give Me Coffee!

Give Me Coffee!

coffee brings dark to light

Coffee brings dark to light!

What was life like without coffee? Before coffee found its way to Europe and the America’s the people in those regions were very sleepy and depressed because they did not have coffee to drink. (Historical “fact” I just made up.) Coffee had been, up until the 1700’s, a very tightly controlled commodity that was monopolized by the kingdom of Arabia. It originated in Ethiopia and as the legend goes it was discovered by an Ethiopian goat-herder who noticed that his goats seemed like they were full of energy and would dance around every time they ate these little red berries off of a certain type of shrub. So apparently he ate some of the berries too and from that experience he, or someone else, decided to dry and roast the seeds (beans) that were in the berries and grind them up to steep in hot water and thus coffee was born! (What a great day that was!) They traded these beans to Arab traders who were quick to notice the potential financial windfall that would result from cornering the market on this marvelous bean! For many years, they maintained the secret of where these beans came from and would not allow any “green” coffee beans (non-roasted; still fertile) to leave their shores. Another legend is that the wife of the Swedish ambassador to Arabia became enamored with coffee (and also it seems a certain prince of the royal house) and was given a single “green” coffee bean nestled in a bouquet of flowers as a parting gift from her special “friend.” And it is from this single green coffee bean, that the majority of the world’s supply of Arabica coffee derives.

What did people drink before coffee became widely available? Tea and hot chocolate, that’s what! When Europeans and Americans mainly drank tea, was there an industrial revolution? NO. Were the sciences advancing at any sort of rapid pace? NO. Am I saying that coffee is the reason for this rapid expansion in science and industry? YES, although very unscientifically! With coffee, people were more alert and more able to become more intellectual. Case in point – the Arabs were in the heyday of their “enlightenment” soon after discovering coffee while at the same time the Europeans were in the depths of the Dark Ages. Coincidence, maybe but I choose to believe not! (After all, this supports the point I am trying to make…!)

What is the point of all this rambling on about coffee? Without coffee the world was in darkness and there were none of the great advances in industry in science; and the human condition was fraught with pessimism and sleepiness. (I don’t know this, but it sounds good. I love coffee!)

Whether my conclusion about coffee is sure or not, I know one that that is sure: Without Jesus Christ and His coming to this world all would be darkness, pessimism and men would still be slumbering in spiritual ignorance and bondage to sin. Like the first drink of coffee opens the eyes in the morning, the Son of God opened the eyes of those who were in spiritual darkness and led them out into the sunshine, dispelling all spiritual slumber and giving those who would accept and OBEY Him the promise of eternal life.

“And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…” Matthew 4:13-17

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Getting Clean Dishes

How Are You at Washing Dishes?

getting clean dishes

Getting clean dishes?

There is a famous hymn in many church hymnals titled, “Purer In Heart, O God.”  The song itself is short and simple, but its message is weighty and piercing.  The main point of the hymn is found in the words “may I devote my life wholly to Thee.” This attitude of willing and total submission to God’s will is the key to the answer to all of life’s problems, struggles, and uncertainties.

To keep himself from sin, David pleaded with God, saying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).  You see, David understood the reward of having a pure heart; a reward that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:8, saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Sadly, there are those who are more like the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees who did not “cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matt. 23:25-26).  Had they done so, they would have received the same reward as David.

Friends, if you want to see God, you better wash your dishes.

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Marriage Fantasy

Idolizing the Aisle

Look around your church auditorium. Chance are you have couples there who have been married more than fifty years. Some congregations even have couples that reach the 60-year mark! Parents please humbly and honestly consider this question: Do you hold these individuals up to your children? Do you really?

marriages based on fantasy just dont last

Marriages based on fantasy just don’t last.

The vast majority of Christian young people grow up idolizing Hollywood celebrities and pop stars, just like their worldly friends. Sadly, they watch their movies, shows, or listen to their music—and they see pictures of million dollar “fairy tale” weddings. But after the smoke clears most of those Hollywood marriages quickly go up in flames. The very marriages our children are idolizing don’t normally make the ten-year mark.

In 2012, Sir Paul Coleridge published a report carried out by Marriage Foundation, a group founded by Coleridge, that revealed after 10 years of marriage the divorce rate for celebrities is 40 percent, double the national average of 20 percent over the same period. The study looked at 572 celebrity couples who have tied the knot since 2000. One in ten had divorced within two years and a quarter of the marriages were over within five years. (See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/divorce/9686108/Judge-warns-against-idolising-celebrity-marriages-which-are-more-prone-to-fail.html.)

           Another study revealed that those expensive “fairy tale” weddings aren’t all they seem. Economics professors from Emory University surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults who had been married at some point in their lives and found that participants who spent large sums of money on engagement rings and/or their weddings were more likely to end up divorced. Here are the two main findings:

1. Men who spent $2,000 to $4,000 on engagement rings were 1.3 times more likely to end up divorced than men who spent $500 to $2,000. Women who received expensive engagement rings also experienced higher rates of divorce.

2. Women whose weddings cost $20,000 or more were 3.5 times more likely to end up divorced than women who spent $5,000 to $10,000. (According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is more than $30,000). [see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/03/expensive-weddings-study_n_5929056.html].

All that money and attention feeds narcissism—and does not prepare a newly wed person to be selfless or compromise. Yet, many young ladies do not feel like their lives will be complete unless they experience that Hollywood ‘fairy tale” wedding.

See the problem? Our children are looking up to an industry whose marriages are even worse than the national average. Most celebrities are not individuals who view love the way 1 Corinthians 13 describes it. Instead, these are individuals who pursue relationships based on their own selfish desires. Every time a movie star has a romantic scene with a new co-star tabloids report about their new-found romance. But what about fidelity? What about keeping the marriage bed pure and unspotted?

Is it possible we are preparing young people for the “Hollywood” wedding, but not a real-life marriage? How many young girls are looking forward to their wedding more than they are the marriage? Moms and dads, how about we start pointing our children to some real marriage role models? How about we look to faithful Christians in the church for examples of how we should pattern our lives?

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