He Loves Inspite Of

1Samuel 18:3 "Then Jonathan and David made a Covenant,because he loved him as his own soul".

This noble prince counted it his joy to further the intersest of the man who was to be preferred before him.There was something very beautiful in Jonathan, and this came out in his unselfish, magnanimous love of David.How much more beauty is there in the unparalleled love of Jesus to us poor sinners. "Jonathan and David made a covenant,because he loved him".The covenant was made, not so much because of their mutual love,but because Jonathan loved David.Jesus made a covenant with us ,not so much because we love him,but because of His love for us.

Christ loves us unconditionally,but Him and the believer that loves him live as if they have but one soul between them.It is not the distance between earth and heaven that can separate them:true love will find Christ wherever he is.When he was upon the earth,they that loved him kept his company;and now that he is gone to heaven,and out of sight, those that love him are sending up their hearts in prayers to him. We belong to the Lord's,in opposition to all competitors.The Lord love for us will not allow him to share us with the enemy,if we take the way of the Lord,all others must go.We must let go of everything else and take hold of the Lord to find rest for ur souls.The soul til it comes within the covenant, is in a restless state;like a bee going from flower to flower;but when it is married to Jesus, his love settles our soul with him,and cuts off all ties to others.The covenant is an offensive and a defensive one. We have common friends and common enemies with the Lord.His people must be your people,and His enemies must be your emenies.

Christ love for us is not based on our loving Him back.In fact we love him because he first loved us.But His love for us is sacrificing,and giving.For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.He did this knowing not all would believe His word,not all would accept His atonement and knowing not all would seek His salvation."Jonathan mad his covenant with David because he loved him." Jesus died for us because he loved us!

Be Ye Holy

Proverbs 11:3 "The integrity of the upright shall guide them:but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them."

Integrity is a choice,in a society entertained and amused by deception, manipulation,seduction, and witchcraft, many people have convienced and even comforted themselves with the notion that they do not have a choice as to whether or not to engage in the same sins.But we are called to lead the world, not follow it.When Elijah explained to God that he was the only God-worshiper who remained,God replied that "yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." Although many people are, not everyone is living a lie, a life of compromise.It is unwise to justify your sins by your presumption of everyone else's sin.Our example must be Christ and him alone.

Christians are called to a higher standard of commitment and responsibility.Our bodies are God's temple,we bear the name of his only begotten son,dedicated solely to his service.In everything we do, we must glorify God.We are called to a lifestyle that is higher than the world's.Using God's word as our guide for life, we build relationships of commitment,responsibility and trust,with integrity and truth. We are a walking recommendation for Christ,and must live accordingly.It is more important for us to know what is important to God, than to know how doing the right thing will benifits us directly.In a world where it seems it's "every man for himself " is there any benifit to living a righteous life? God says that living a life of integrity results in a fruitful life.Integrity in this sense means living a life of high moral principles, a life characterized by honesty,sincerity, and good judgment.Those who live a life of integrity do what's right even when they can get away with doing something else.They choose to do right when it is more convient to do wrong.They are called to be ye holy.

Living a life based on ungodly principles and practices is destined for diffculty.Duplicitous people base their life on cunning and decption, they are driven by the pursuit of self gratification and material comfort. However, on the Day of Judgment their material wealth and gain will be of no value.Choosing a path of integrity is always beneficial in the long term,for those who walk in the integrity of God, walk in a clear path, for they walk in the light , Jesus the light of the world. So in everything you do and everywhere you go,remember whose you are, and be ye Holy as your Father in heaven is Holy.

Esteeming Others

Philippians 2:4 "Look not every man on his own things,but every man also on the things of others".

What differecnce has God made in our life? Do all christians talk and act the same?No.But we should all have a love for God first of all,and then love for one another.The sweetness Christians experience in knowing Jesus as Savior and all the good he brings into our lives, inevitably reflects in everyone of our relationships.Paul  asked the believers at Philippi,"Has being a follower of Jesus Christ made any difference in your life? Has the fact that he loves you with an everlasting love caused you to make different  life choices? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit's presence and enjoyed being a part of this glorious unified body? Is Christ's love flowing in, out, and through this unified body with tenderness and lots of mercy?"

If you answered yes to any of these questions ,then you should spend more time talking about the things we have in common, than our differences.We should love each other unconditionally,strive for unity in all we do by lifting up Christ.Saints all have sinned and come short of God's glory, the enemy wants us to focus on the short comings which lie in all of us.But Jesus is the one thing we have in common and it is through him and by him that we are perfected even with our shortcomings,so when we lift Jesus up in the lives of others, we have all things common.We should be thrilled to the heart to lead people to the Lord, and then see them interacting and developing deep, caring, and lasting friendships, as their walk with Christ becomes stronger.

How honest are your conversations? It's a good practice among brothers and sisters in Christ to put self aside, help others move forward ,and constantly check our motives. We must be sure that which we do in the unity of the body is for the glory of God and not to fulfill a personal agenda.Remember the enemy is a deciever,you may want to do it for God's glory,but if un checked pride and self righteousness will creep in, and your good will be evil spoken of. We can emphasize the good in others while still acknowledging their faults and weakness. And the weak should be able to handle correction which is done in love for the building up of the body.(too many of us get mad when someone points out a fault or a shortcoming in our character, but how can we grow stronger if we don't know where we are weak). The Body of Christ can only become unified,loving, and like-minded when we care for the inerest of others as much as we do our own.

He's Coming Back

Mark 13:26 "And then shall they see the Son of man comming in the clouds with great power and glory."

The daily headlines are never very hopeful, they are filled with stories of hopelessness..But we are to be of good cheer,none of this has any bearing on what God has in store for His children.His word says he will supply our every need.This is not His plan for us,let us not be blinded by the gods of this world, to the good things which God has for those who love Him.

Upon completetion of each intricate part of his creation, God said,"it is good!"Each element of creation was brilliant! Today's headlines are but a representation of how the evil designs of satan, and our own sin have taken the beauty of God's creation, and changed it into a distorted world of chaos and dispair. Hatred, plagues,murder,and hunger are not God's will for His creation.Jesus, our blessed hope, will  come and set things right.Jesus is comming back,and when Jesus returns to earth,He will return as our triumphant King,and all eyes will see him.Every knee will bow to him, and every tongue will confess of him, that he is Lord.He is greater than anything on earth and anything occuring in the earth, so be not discouraged. He is our reigning Lord, Savior and conquering King.When Christ returns, the sun shall be darkened,and the moon shall not give her light, as the true light will take center stage,Jesus the light of the world. And then they shall see the Son of man, in the clouds with great power and glory.(ride on king Jesus) Then he shall gather His elect from the four winds,from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

But until he returns, we have his Holy Spirit to comfort us,and his word to assure us and to hold on to. His word tells us"we wait in hope on the Lord he is our help and our sheild" :"But now,Lord, what do I look for?My hope is in you":"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,and my hope is in you all day long".So saints hold on for "we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,Jesus Christ." Hold on ,He is an on time God!

A Way That Seems Right

2Samuel 6:7 "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error;and there he died by the Ark of God".

In our story today God had given specific instructions on the contructing of the Ark of the covenant,He also commanded them to transport it by using poles.He warned them that anyone touching the Ark would die.

As we see when David moved the Ark to Jerusalem, the people ignored God's directions,and place it on a cart for transporting.Yes on the cart was an easier way to carry the Ark,and what the people did seemed harmless and right.But it went against the commandment of God.Many today go against God's commandment in a search for a way of making things easier.The word of God tells us that Jesus is the way,there is no other way to eternal life with the Father except through His darling Son.Yet there are many ingnor God's word and do things their own way, saying God understands to justify their actions. Many think they can pick and choose who to love, how to live,how to worship,how to serve,and who to forgive.As our story tells us that when Uzzah in an effort to prevent the Ark from falling,reached over to secure it ,he fell dead. See God cannot lie,so when he said anyone who touches it will die,he meant that.When He said the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, He also means that.

Are the specific details of God's will important?They were to Uzzah! God was teaching His people to take His word seriously.We too must take God's word seriouly, He can't lie and every part of His word must and will come to past.He even gave us a fair warning as he said" There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but in the end is th eway of death". Let us pay careful attention to every point of His word and be obedient and enjoy everlasting life with our Father which art in Heaven.....

Left at Church!

Luke 2:43"And when they had fulfilled the days,as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem;and Joseph and his mother knew not of it."

Here we have a the parents of Jesus, leaving worship service believing Jesus was with them, but in reality, he was left at the temple.

This story is really not all that strange, it happens each Sunday. Jesus is left at the temple,and left by those who suppose he is with them. While in church,we worship him,we praise him,we pray to him,call on him, preach about him,and lead people to him, while inside the walls.But it seem that when we leave the church, we leave Jesus.We suppose that he is with us, yet we have left him.We have left him at church and He is missing from  the rest of our life. We sometimes get so busy with our praise, and being a christian, that we forget to take Jesus with us when we leave the church.We are so busy trying to show the world how saved we are, that we forget to let them know there is a Savior. We need to take Jesus outside the church,and make him part of every aspect of our life.He needs to be in our whole life. Include Him in your marriage and see How blessed it will be. Invite Him in your homes,and give Him rule,take Him on your job and let Him shine,don't leave Him at the church.Jesus needs to be seen in every aspect of our being,after all we profess to be born of Him. Jesus needs to be just as much a part of our life outside the church, as he is inside the church.

When his parents realized he wasn't with them, they began to seek him.They looked everywhere, even among their kinfolks, and when they did't find him,they turned around and went back to where they last seen him.When we realize we are no longer walking with Jesus, we to must turn from our wicked ways and seek him,and seek him diligently.We should look for him among our family members and if he is not with them, bring them along that they to may know Jesus;A relationship with Christ is a personal thing, and we must know him for ourselves,and should share Him with all we see.It's a great thing to have Jesus at church, but just think of the great work that could be done if we brought Jesus out of the Church.What if we actually lived the life Monday through Saturday that we talk about on Sundays.

A Life Of Sacrifice

Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son,but delievered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things".

Members of the early Church often referred to themselves as those who followed "the way".Paul refers to their way of life as "the way of the Lord" and "The way of God".In other words,the early Christians, directly taught by Christ apostles,were recongnized by their deeds and action.The way they lived, separated them from those of the world around them.It was called the way because they lived the way Christ lived.They followed his example,they obeyed His instructions.The way was then,and still is, a way of living and thinking that is different from that followed by those of this world.

When Christ came to earth He explained that this different way of thinking would through the power of the Holy Spirit, produce the fruit of righteous actions and deeds.He taught that God's way is the way of giving rather than the normal selfish human way of alway getting.The key to living a way of life different from the way of the world is to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so we think like Jesus Christ. Through His spirit,God not only leads us in a different way of thinking,He helps us change the motivations that govern our actions.This focus on unselfishness rather than the self-serving approach produced by our natural way of thinking brings,in turn a dramatic change in the way we live and everything we do.God ask that we reorder our priorities,allowing his spirit to change our thinking, serving God by doing his will and seeking his kingdom.When we put God first ,he promises to provide ways for us to meet our needs.He will with hold no good thing from us.

Living a godly life is much more than merely calling on God's name as though that alone will excuse us for doing whatever we please.Living a godly life is doing what pleases God.It is practicing what he commands us, and living a way of life defined by his word.Jesus taught a way of life based on observing God's commandments from a heart of love that willingly makes personal sacrifices for the sake of others, focusing on giving rather than receiving.A true Christian cannot base his way of life, his new way of living on his own ideas about right and wrong.God's law and Christ example of perfect obedience to those laws, set the standards for the genuine Christian way of Life.Our new life is based on giving,a free gift given by God to all who will receive it."For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son",Giving is the way of God and the foundation of His love to mankind.Let us use this same foundation as we give to a lost world that which God gave to us..Share Jesus with a friend and change a life.