with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love Ephesians 4:2, ESV
As our Lord bore our sinfulness with all patience, humility, and gentleness because of His love, we should show the same to others, holding on to the hope and promise that He will return to reward our faithfulness with rest and life.
As I type this, I am lying next to the lovely woman in this picture.
If you see her, be forewarned: she is dangerous.
She is tenacious and hard working. She is passionate about her goals and defending those she loves.
And she loves God with all her heart.
That is the dangerous part.
She will help you get to know God or grow deeper in your relationship with Him. She will not let unjustice go by without saying something, and that includes any injustice you may have against God.
And trust me, as a fallen person who needed my Savior to rescue me from the pit and still struggles from time to time with following Jesus completely, I know her ability to do all the things I have described here.
Thankfully, 11 years ago today (at the minute this is scheduled to post online), she agreed to help me personally everyday, no matter how hard it got, how stubborn I can be, or how much I make her laugh. (It seems that last one is a lot, even if I do not mean to …)
So, if you see her …
Remind her she is loved by her Lord and Savior. And her husband of 11 years, as of today.
Oh, and we finally got to meet our nephew, yesterday. He is great!
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13, ESV
As our faith deepens, our hope rises. Love both deepens faith and raises hope while growing itself through them. Turn to God. Trust Him. Find hope. Love Him.
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart Psalm 119:2, ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12
Simple, Not Easy (Part 2)
Big picture: Love God, love people, share the Gospel. But how do we love others . . . in the Church?
Jesus loved by S Himself, so ought we do the same (John 15:13).
Love each other by NOT being:
S , but rather h (Philippians 2:3)
H (Romans 12:9-13), but rather s (1 Peter 1:22-23)
Love each other by:
H each other (Colossians 6:10)
T , r , r , e , and staying p (2 Timothy 4:2)
Let us show un-hypocritical love by helping each other through this life by pointing each other back to God’s Word and Christ’s example, being patient and kind with each other as we stumble along, remembering we need each other’s help!
Big picture: Love God, love people, share the Gospel. But how love God?
What does the Bible say?
Love God by (Deuteronomy 6:4-9):
Studying S (Psalm 119:15-16)
Discussing S
Love God by loving the C (John 13:34)
R God’s faithfulness.
M together to talk about His faithfulness.
E each other in truth and good works.
Love God by:
H those in need (Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:16-17)
W to people (Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20
We show we love God by sharing the gospel and teaching people to obey, as we should be doing. Not being ashamed of the Gospel, but boldly proclaiming truth.
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!