" Greater Love"

Mt.10:24-33
The disciple is not above his master,nor the servant above his lord.
It is enough for the disciple that be as his master,and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house of Beelzebub,how much more shall they call them of his household?
Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered,that shall not be revealed; and hid,that shall not be known.
What I tell you in darkness,that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear,that preach ye upon the housetops.
And FEAR not them which kill the body,but are not able to kill the soul: but rather FEAR Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not call to the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are numbered.
Fear ye not therefore,ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men,him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Jn.15:13
" Greater love HATH NO MAN than this,that a man lay down his life for his friends.

We live in a time and in countries that have become so complacent that any little wind shakes our faith!
A brother offered a video in another thread,I watched it!
How many of us truly consider the WORTH of the FAITH we have in God?
Are you sharing ,or willing to share it with others?
What about people in third world countries,or those under oppressive governments?
What of those who follow MEN'S doctrines of cultic type communities or beliefs?

ARE you willing to have the love that Jesus had for us and commands of us?
Am I willing?

Today we MUST examine ourselves to see wherein we stand,and not just be about LIP-SERVICE to our Lord!

I think about the many faith and love inspiring testimonies over the years I have read!

Corrie ten Boom,her family and countless others who were Christians that hid Jews during WW2!

Persecution brings out the TRUTH in us!

I remember when I was very young reading about a missionary who went into a primitive native country to share the gospel of Jesus! He was killed by the natives. Some years later his wife went to this same tribe and was able to lead them to Jesus!

How prescious it is to know Jesus,to talk with Him openly,to study the word,and feel the Holy Spirit open your soul to the Amazing love and awesomeness of God!

Heb.10:24
And let us consider one another to provoke UNTO LOVE and to good works.

1Cor.13:4-7
Charity sufferers long,and is kind; charity envieth not; vaunteth not itself,is not puffed up,
doth not behave itself unseemly,seeketh not her own,is not easily provoked,thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity,BUT REJOICETH IN THE TRUTH;
BEARETH ALL THINGS,BELIEVETH ALL THINGS,HOPETH ALL THINGS,......ENDURETH ALL THINGS.




Have we tested OUR love lately?

James1:22
But be ye DOERS of the word,and not hearers only,deceiving your own selves

Rms8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall TRIBULATIONS,or DISTRESS,or PERSECUTION,or FAMINE od NAKEDNESS,or PERIL,or SWORD?

To be doers of the word requires actions.................
What of tribulations,persecutions,perils,sword ect.ect. that effect those that love God,do we stand idily by and say" Bless them"?

There may come a time when we are put to the test before Jesus gathers His bride,how am I in standing with Him?

It is a hard thing to love those who persecute you isn't it... I thank God for the example of Corrie Ten Boom🙏🏻

how many times have i seen people snipe & curse each other, saying hateful in this forum, and close their post with
"have a blessed day"

=|


what are we doing =[

I hope you meditate on that brother.
It has nothing to do with my offering to this thread, therefore, I feel it is the spirit moving you unto contrition.
Praise the Lord.

This is not meant to be about contention or strife but rather a self examination to see wherein we stand as He stood! Jesus laid down His life for sinful man,it was not taken from Him!
Persecution and tribulations are befalling in us all,let it not however come from those of the household of faith!

2Cor.:13:5
Examine yourselves,whether ye be in the FAITH; PROVE YOUR OWN SELVES................
PS.26:2
Examine me, O Lord,and PROVE ME; try my sins and MY HEART
1Cor.11:28
But let a man EXAMINE HIMSELF,and so let him EAT OF THAT BREAD,AND DRINK OF THAT CUP.

LOVE! LOVE

Yes, and let's not forget also the many facets of love. I cringe when i hear Christians talking about unconditional forgiveness, and how it's improper to rebuke or speak harshly to others, regardless of what the culprit may have done.
God corrects and admonishes those that he loves, as do parents, as did Paul to Peter and to the Corinthians, as Christ did to the Pharisees and hypocrites (white-wash tombs), as did the prophets of old, etc....
There is a time for gentleness and patience, and there is a time for austerity and intolerance. In the proper context and the proper measure, both are inline with God's will, both are motivated by love.
Even Salvation requires repentance and contrition before one can be forgiven, mercy is not unconditional.
Don't be deceived, over-kindness or over-looking a trespass can, in many situations, destroy or create monsters out of the guilty party.
Love has many dimensions.

Very insightful post DB7. Many equate being humble and turning the other cheek as being weak. I think Christ's message of turning the other cheek is about us settling differences with violence. We can be humble and still take a stand against evil.

Matt. 5:39 "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." When Christ said resist not evil, he meant for us to stand against it and work out the test. For it is a test of how we faithfully conduct ourselves. This very often takes much courage.

Like you said, being doormats just enables the evildoers to continue. We especially need to keep our houses and congregations in order. Love is not the easy way to do things, but for Christians it is the only way. Let us encourage one another.

Thanks Deade, ...agreed, I challenge anyone who is of weak character to attempt to turn the other cheek, they can't do it, their insecurities or pride will get the best of them, they will need to retaliate just to save face or even the score.
A man who is resolute in his mind that he will not engage in, or resort to such wickedness, nor succumb to such feeble defensiveness, is one of very strong character, he is able to walk away with simply his dignity intact, knowing that the alternative is disgraceful.

Thus, so that when it's done in strength and confidence, that is when the offender truly feels the shame of his actions.
Like you said Deade, it's an extremely overt and effective stand against evil, exposing its colours for what they truly are.

....I read a t-shirt once that said, 'Don't mistake my kindness for weakness!' Loved it!
Thanks!