September 12, 2008
All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
[1 John 4:15-21]
Good Morning Beloved,
Happy Friday! OUCH!… that smarts! Love my Christian brothers and sisters? All of them? But Lord, some of these folks are ornery, surly, angry, nasty and just plain mean! Love ‘em anyway. That’s not natural. Exactly. Its super-natural! The love of God shed in our hearts, gives us the capacity to love the unlovable. Fear. There are many definitions of fear. Fear can be a good thing when speaking of being in awe of or respect for God. The other fear – being scared- is something different. That type of fear breeds torment and confusion. To borrow a line from my dear Sister-in-Christ Melanie Best’s play, “Convicted: A Christian”, that fear will have you scared to leave your house and scared to stay in it… the only place left to go… IS CRAZY!
. There are people who live and breathe CNN, MS NBC, Fox News etc. These people live in constant fear and dread of everything. No wonder they tend to have such a dim outlook on the world. We need balance and levity. Be informed, but protect your spirit from an overdose of morbidity. Remember the times during which your bible was written. Remember the times during which your bible was translated. Dark, grim times. There were wars, famines, pestilences, tragedies, but the Word was the same. It never changed. It still said:
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:19]
The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. [Deuteronomy 28:7]
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble
He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength. [Isaiah 40:29]
That is just a small taste of what God’s Word said. It never said we would not have difficult days, but that difficulty should never overtake us to the point of despair. When it threatens to do just that, we have an Advocate, Friend, Brother, King, God, who really is on our side to see us through.
…. and that my friend is Good News!
U Blessed,
Have A Fabulous Day and a Wonderful Weekend
All of those in the path of Hurricane Ike, know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. We pray this storm dissipate, and not cause the damage they are forecasting it will. We plead the blood of our Savior cover and shelter the people…. in Jesus Name… AMEN.
Regina
Cartoonist’s Comment:
In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Like a lion, our Lord is powerful and strong, and able to protect us from the enemy
Cartoonist’s Comment:
The name of the Lord is Jesus. Through the name of Jesus we are protected from the enemy.
