What is love?

The dictionary describes love as "a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person." Whilst that may be true, it's not possible to guarantee these feeling towards someone all the time and to love them without fail; and its certainly true that we don't feel this kind of love towards everyone we meet.

The Bible describes love in this scripture:

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." John 15:13

If you believe the Bible, it states there is no greater love than the one found in this scripture. Jesus showed greater love by sacrificing his self in our place and holding us higher than His own life.

I believe we can do the same when we sacrifice ourselves for others, not litterally, but when we sacrifice our wants and desires and put others before ourselves we can show greater love. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't have warm fuzzy feelings while he was being nailed to the cross, but yet He choose to love us by His actions. We too can show this greater kind of love, even if we don't "feel it" by choosing to operate in God's kind of love.

Receiving from God

I was reading in Acts 14 about a man who God healed through Paul. This man was crippled from birth so had never walked. Hearing Paul and Barnabus preach the gospel, faith arose in his heart.

"This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, stand upright on your feet." - Acts 14:9-10

Paul saw this faith and commanded the man to stand on his feet. At this point the man imediately leapt on his feet and began walking. Jesus provided everything for us at the cross and by His grace already healed us, prospered us, blessed us etc. (Ephesians 1:3) and we receive or " grab hold" of these blessings by faith.

There are many examples in the Bible where it talks about the individuals faith healing that person. Speaking to a previously blind man, Jeusus said in Luke 18:42 "Your faith has healed you." We may hear scriptures from the Bible and if we are honest they haven't changed us. We may hear but do we really hear? The crippled man heard a word from God through Paul and his faith was quickened to receive healing.

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17

Let me encourage you to really hear a word from God that pertains to your situation. His Word has the solution to any need you may have and God wants to speak into your situation today!

Be still

Life can be so fast paced. In the age we live in we never seem to be still as we have so many things to do all the time. Most of us even have the internet in our pockets. With all this going on it can be hard to hear God, or sometimes we can even forget about God with all the things we are doing.

God loves us greatly (1 John 3:1) and there is nothing more fulfilling than knowing God and His love. I don't think we can fully experience God's fullness without spending time with Him away from the busyness of everyday life.

"Be still, and know that I am God..." - Psalm 46:10

I want to challange myself to spend less time on facebook, watching tv shows or whatever and spend that time with God, and know that He is God.

Can we earn righteousness?

With each blog I write I try to add a photo I have taken that relates to something written in my post. I think you'll be thankful I went with the grass cutting than anything else!

Anyway, I was cutting the grass today. It took a while so I stuck on my Bible app and listened to the Word. I came across some great truths in Romans 4.

"Now think: Was that declaration *of righteousness* made before or after he was marked by the covenant rite of circumcision? That's right, before he was marked. That means that he underwent circumcision as evidence and confirmation of what God had done long before to bring him into this acceptable standing with himself, an act of God he had embraced with his whole life." - Romans 4:10-11(MSG).

These verses explain that Abraham was accounted righteous before he was circumcised. This means that we can not obtain righteousness by any outward sign or by our outward sign of good works. Even one sin would disqualify us from being righteous by our own efforts.

So why was Abaham accounted righteous?

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. " Romans 4:3(KJV)

Abraham was accounted righteous because he believed God. As New Testament believers we too can believe or trust in Jesus who lived a sinless life because we couldn't. Jesus offers His perfect righteousness to us as a free gift. We can't earn it, but we can trust God in His grace for this awesome free gift!

Ephesians 1:11

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" - Ephesians 1:11

After reading this verse I looked up inheritance in the dictionary, and came upon one definition that is something obtained after someone's death. Usually this would mean a house, money or a car etc. If a parent should die, all their inheritance would then belong to their child.

This makes me think of Jesus death. What did he own? He owned a perfect relationship with the Father, righteousness, perfect health, more than enough wealth during his ministry, joy, peace, happiness etc. He was God's Son.

When Jesus died we inherited all that Jesus was and is. This excites me! We are now sons of God!

Easter

The weather the past few days has been wonderful! As if the sun has burst out from a deep sleep, with a new purpose in life!

God's son Jesus burst from the grave after completing his purpose in life, by paying our debt on the cross and redeeming us from darkness! He now has a new purpose sitting at the right hand of the father interceeding for us!

Who is he that comdemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:34

This simply means Jesus is right now praying for us! I think God enjoys our prayers too. More than anything prayer is thanking God and praising Him with our words. Comming up to Easter, as we think upon what Jesus did for us, we have so much to be thankful for!

HAPPY EASTER!

Our Guide

So I don't have any of my own photographs of the moon, but this post is short and you can forgive me for that.

I was out walking under a full moon tonight, and it's guiding light reminded me of God, and how He directs our paths; with out Him our path would be in darkness.

(Psalm 23:3) He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. (Psalm 48:14)