“Deuteronomy 31:6 New King James Version (NKJV) 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Blessings to all of my World in Focus International Ministry Subscribers, visitors, family and friends.. Just wanted to let you know on today that I appreciate you… I’ve prepared a simple message in the post…. If you don’t gather anything from it, just know that “God Is Everything that you need!” ~Minister Evelyn Diane~ Irvine, California 2012
I CAN do anything but fail with God on my side..
We serve a mighty God…
I’m a living witness to let you
know that if you trust in God,
you can never go wrong knowing
that “We Can” Do Anything
But Fail with the Lord on our side!
I share again (re-inter-ate) : “Deuteronomy 31:6 New King James Version (NKJV) 6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Here are some tips for Success…
Posted by: Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas
edt/may 25, 2012/WIFI ministries
[1] As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. [2] He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. [3] “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. [4] All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
“Don’t Look Down On A Man” – The Jackson Southernaires
Greetings to my WIFI subscribers, viewers, family and friends… This has been one interesting week, but I do know that God is in it every step of the way… As I thought about the society we live in and how the economy is the way it is, there are a lot of people that are secretly hurting, but you will never know just by the naked eye. As we open up and talk to one another, we find that most people are alike in a lot of ways… They may not be the same nationality, creed or economic status as you, but they still have the same desires and the same needs alike.. We all want to be loved, we all need to eat and have clean water to drink, clothes on our backs and shoes for our feet… With that in mind, all man kind deserves a chance to enjoy life no matter what level you live your life on…
As I’m reminded of the story in the book Luke about the poor widow woman that did not have much, but she gave out the abundance of her heart, and that’s all that really matters is that when we give, we give with sincerity and from our heart no looking for anything in return… As we look at the scriptures below, I want to let you know that no matter how small your contribution may be, God honors it, and will bless you for giving from the depths of your heart just like the poor widow woman with little..
As I study God’s word on this morning, he began to speak clearly the 23rd Psalms to me.
Psalm 23 (KJV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Luke 20:45-21:4
[45] While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, [46] “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. [47] They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.”
[21:1] As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. [2] He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. [3] “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. [4] All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
More than All the Others (21:3-4)
She gave a very small offering, perhaps, but I’ve known many, many people — much better off than the widow — who put in $1 when the plate is passed and feel good about themselves. But for the widow, this $1.50 is all she has.
“‘I tell you the truth,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'” (21:3-4) This $1.50 represents buying her next meal. She is destitute, probably living off the charity of her neighbors. She has just a tiny bit in her possession, but she wants to give it. No matter that she won’t have food for the evening meal. She wants to give it.
People are watching the rich ostentatiously depositing their large offerings. But no one marks the poverty-stricken widow, who reached into her rags to withdraw these two thin copper coins and deposit them into the collection box. No one see the look of joy on her face as she gives to her Lord the little she has. No one sees. No one notices.
But God notices. God’s Son notices. And he says to his disciples — “Did you see that!?” They look over where he is pointing. All they see is a tired old widow shuffling away from the collection box.
“She gave more than all of those rich people put together,” Jesus tells them, and they look at him in astonishment. $1.50 vs. thousands of dollars? They don’t say it, but they must think that Jesus is seriously mistaken. Daft, maybe.
But he continues. “All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Jesus is thinking about proportional giving.
The word “wealth” (NIV) or “abundance” (KJV) is Greek perisseuo, “to be in abundance, abound.”[11] It is used in contrast to “need” (NIV) or “penury,” which translate the Greek noun husterma, “the lack of what is needed or desirable, frequently in contrast to abundance, need, want, deficiency.”[12] The word translated “live on” (NIV) or “living” (KJV) is Greek bios, “life” and the derived meaning, “resources needed to maintain life, means of subsistence.”[13] (We get our words “biology,” “biotics,” “biosphere,” etc. from bios.)
I see three lessons for disciples in the brief story of this simple, pious widow:
1. Proportional Giving. Jesus is teaching us that how much we give is related to how much we have. Earlier, Jesus had taught his disciples, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). This principle of proportional giving is at the root of the tithe (10% giving to the Lord) taught in the Old Testament. Paul reiterates this principle to the Corinthian church: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
2. Sacrificial Giving. Jesus doesn’t tell the woman to keep her money, that God doesn’t really need it. He lets her give and his heart swells with pride for this lady. If he stops her, he deprives her of the blessing of giving to God. So he lets her do it. We don’t win extra points with God when we give sacrificially. This is not a contest. But know that when you make sacrifices for God, he is watching. It doesn’t matter if no one else sees or knows. It is better that they do not. But you may count on the fact that God sees and knows your giving. Jesus promises, “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:4).
3. Faith-filled Giving. The third lesson I see here is that we ourselves should not despise our small gifts to God. Sometimes we fall under the worldly spell that “bigger must be better.” That’s not true of our giving to God. We are to give what we are able, whether small or great. If you’ve ever been poor, then you know that it is easy to feel, “My small gift won’t make any difference. It won’t matter.” But that’s not true. It does matter. It matters to your Heavenly Father who loves you.
It is also faith-filled when you give, not knowing exactly how God will provide for you after you give. I’m not encouraging foolish giving, but faith-filled giving, giving proportionately to your income and expecting God to meet your needs, with more-than-enough to be able to give again (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). The tithe is a good guideline for giving, if you are just getting started stretching your faith. And wonderful promises come along with this practice (Malachi 3:6-12).
Motivations for Giving
It is a fact, at least in the US, that the poor give a substantially larger proportion of their income to the Lord’s work than the wealthy? Why is this? I believe that the poor tend to give out of love, while the wealthy tend to give out of duty. The poor give when it hurts. The wealthy seldom give enough so that it ever hurts.
Comfortably wealthy people tend to see their “large” dollar-amount gifts as significant, and can use them as leverage for power. It is common to hear of so-called “church pillars” who withhold their giving to the church until the pastor begins to do things their way or leaves. Wealthy members can use their money to control a church. “After all,” they say, “if it weren’t for my giving….” They try to buy the pastor’s favor and so compromise the pastor’s integrity. But wealthy donors like this are no better than the Pharisees who give and pray in order to be seen by others. Manipulators, power-seekers, they can be a blot on the purity of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Wealthy people can, of course, be a great blessing to others, if they give out of the right motives. If wealthy people give sacrificially, they please God. If they give out of love, they please God. If they give in proportion to their income, they please God.
But if we think that the value of our gift is greater than the widow’s mite because it is a larger dollar amount, then we misunderstand the economics of the Kingdom of God. God does not need you or me to keep his enterprise afloat. He does not owe us. He is not beholden to us. The cattle on a thousand hills are his, and all the riches buried in the earth. He is fabulously wealthy.
On the other hand, don’t withhold your gift, don’t despise your giving just because the amount is so very small. God looks at your heart. God looks at your ability to give. And God desires to be proud of your giving, no matter how poor you are.
We don’t give because God “needs” our contribution. We give in order to honor him with our substance. Whether large or small, we give to worship God.
I remember one other comparison Jesus gave between the wealthy and giving all. Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell all that he had and give to the poor, and then to come, follow Him. The man balked. But the disciples later asked, “Haven’t we given all to follow you?” And Jesus replied that those who give sacrificially will be richly rewarded — in this life and in the life to come. (18:18-30).
How about you, my disciple friend. Have you given God your all, whether large or small? If you have, then you know the racing heart of trusting God for the next step, the next meal, the next project. And you know the reward of loving God with a joy and purity that reward you with his glorious presence.
I need to see that widow giving her two thin copper coins. I don’t want to let her see me watching. But I need to see her. I need to see her to remind me once again what real love for God is all about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am more and more aware that those whom you will reward with the greatest crowns are not as likely to be the well-known Christian leaders, as the faithful men and women who regularly lay their whole life and livelihood on the line for you. I pray that I might someday you might count me worthy to stand among these ordinary Christian heroes. In your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.
Key Verse
“I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4)
Posted by Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas – President & CEO of WIFI Ministries
*Reference material in this piece is used from Bible gateway & Commentary references…
Psalm 95:6 (ESV) Oh come, let us worship
and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Bishop Paul S. Morton- Bow Down and Worship
Greetings to my World in Focus International Subscribers,
family and friends… “Greetings!!!!!”
I have nothing fancy to say today but “Lord I Love you Lord, and please know that My worship is for-real because God is so worthy Lord!!!! Hallelujah…
All I need you to know is that “My worship is foreal…” All, I can say is that you don’t really know my story and all the things that I’ve been through, and I know that you can’t feel my pain or know what I had to go through to get where I am today… Nevertheless, I “Thank you dear Jesus!!!” My worship is for-real… Lord, I love you!!! I don’t know about anybody else, but God has been so good to me and Jesus Christ have brought me over hurdles, and continue to make me leap over every circumstance that life presents.. Good, bad or ugly, God, he’s been right there and has never left me
or forsake me like man! All I can do on today is cry out ” Hallelujah” anyhow…
Yes to your will, yes to your ways because tragedy is common place, and people are slipping away.. I still say thank you Jesus… Knowing that I could have been dead sleeping in my grave, but you made my enemies behave!!! Your so worthy… That’s why I serve you everyday…. Hallelujah, and I lift my hands to you oh God even when I don’t feel like it because my worship is foreal…
You don’t know my cost of my anointing, but this one thing I do know that my worship and my relationship with God is for-real… I don’t mind talking intimate to God, and making love to God because he is my everything!!! Hallelujah!!!
Can I tell you all something? It really just hit me even harder this morning that one of my friends has really gone on home to be with the Lord.. Prayers going out to her family and friends… Nevertheless, I Pray God in Heaven that you continue to give us strength right now to get through all the different trials of life … I know that we all have special people in our lives that have gone home to glory and are no longer here on earth with us, but we thank you for all the precious moments you allowed them to be a part of our lives…. You don’t need “to know”, but just “know” those eyes saw more than we could ever imagine… In the place between heaven and mine .. I Still I hear you when you speak, I can still Feel you near me as my guide, and telling me that the the one’s that mistreat you, they don’t deserve you.. move on and keep it pushing… That meant everything to me, you just don’t know, and that’s why with the help that you always told me to seek from God, Jesus always stops by and show us his ultimate grace and mercy… On that note, I know that Jesus is able to heal every broken heart and every pain and misery you feel. Just hold on to God with everything that you have! He is able to do anything but fail, and I’m a living witness…
Here’s a song that will bless your soul, and I hope it blesses you like it did me… I’ve even enclosed the lyrics so you can really know that the words to this song is really real in my life on today… It’s not just a song to me, it’s a true reality!
Bishop Larry Trotter and the Sweet Holy Spirit Combined Choirs
Tell The Devil I’m Back – 2001
(Verse)
You don’t know my story, All the things that I’ve been through, You can’t feel my pain, What I had to go through to get here, You’ll never understand my praise, Don’t try to figure it out, Because my worship, My worship, Is for real.
(Bridge)
(Sopranos) I’ve been through too much, Not to worship Him…
(Altos) Much… Not to worship Him…
(Tenors) Much… Not to worship Him…
(Vamp) – Watch the director! Words may change!
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, My worship is for real.
Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, My worship is for real.
Lord I love you, Lord I love you, My worship is for real.
You’re so worthy, You’re so worthy, My worship is for real.
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
But he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
And said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. …
But you shall fear the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’
Which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.
There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths. And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lordafflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.
And many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of theLord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy.
And many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
A Song of Ascents. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of theLord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Hello to my WIFI subscribers, family and friends…
I’m lead to speak to the believer’s for just a minute… This may not be for everyone, but this is the word for the hour from the Lord that was given to me..
First of all let me define what a ‘Born again Believer is… “In Christianity, born again refers to a “spiritual rebirth” (regeneration) of the human soul or spirit, contrasted with the physical birth everyone experiences. The origin of the term “born again” is the New Testament: In the book of John 3:3 (NIV) says: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
This term is associated with salvation and being Saved and for folks who has accepted our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as their person savior. Individuals who profess to be born again have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the only way to be a born again believer…John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you are a born again believer.. We should know where and who to turn to when trouble rises, and when the darkest days come our way..I know you all might say, what is she talking about?.. Well, if you live this life, you will have some dark days no matter of your race, color or creed or religion… NO one is exempt… First of all, we should always pray, so without question, before you ask somebody else to pray, you should already be praying to God and pray that what you are asking God for comes to past off of your faith in God. I find it odd that the saints of God has turned away from prayer and upright teaching.. It seems as everyone has turned to drugs, alcohol sex, adultery, fornication, homosexuality and anything that defiles the temple, and then want to make excuses why the world is like it is.. God is not pleased… He is exposing a lot of stuff and a lot of people.. Just like back in the day when we did wrong, we had go before the church and and God and ask for forgiveness, or if you were wrong and you knew you were wrong, you either knew to step down, or be asked by an higher authority which should be your self conviction if you know you aint doing right, and you better not even think about touching the Communion on whatever Sunday it was served…(my God).. I guess I’m old… Let me tell you.. When I was in my mess, I did not get a gold medal when I committed my sins, I got my just reward from God.. Chastisement in the 1st degree, and it was good for me, because it has me where I am today, in a real relationship with God… No, my life is not perfect, but God is fixing it as we speak so I can be totally pleasing to God, which is the way we all should want to be..
Take time to study your bible, especially in the The Gospel of Matthew where it elaborates on the Kingdom of Heaven… Where we all are trying to make it to!
To be saved we must:
1.)Hear the “good news” of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:14)
2.)Believe (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 8:37; Mark 16:16; John 8:24)
3.)Repent of our sins(Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; Mark 10:15)
4.)Confess faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 8:36-37; Romans 10:9)
5.)Be baptized (in water) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-41; 1Peter 3:21; John 3:3-5; Acts 22:16;
Romans 6:3-8; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:26-27; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:34-39; Ephesians 4:5)
6.)Remain faithful for the rest of our lives and carry our cross daily (Revelation 2:10;
Matthew 24:13; Luke 9:23)
We become saved (conversion occurs) and we come into contact with the blood of Christ (or enter into Christ), at baptism, after steps 1-4 have been fulfilled.
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, …
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. …
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Sermon Title: Don’t start (None) nothing, won’t be (None) nothing..
2 Kings 4:1-4 New International Version (NIV)
The Widow’s Olive Oil
4 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
“We forget to keep the main thing the main thing. You become a prisoner of procrastination” ~Dr. Jamal H. Bryant~
“All you need is a little oil… “
“I am an exception” Exception is not apart of ordinary standard… It does not follow the rules… ” Dr. Jamal H. Bryant…
“You are getting ready to pass some people and go to the front of the line because you are an exception~ I have a little oil… ” What makes you exceptional is the oil that you carry… Dr. Jamal H. Bryant… ~
No notes taken, but I will insert the pod cast sermon…
King James Version (KJV) 2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
~ I will Insert the Ipod Cast of this sermon at a later date…~
“Just needed to listen this morning~ Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas
Good Morning to my WIFI Subscribers, family and friends… Please join us for the 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EST. online service at Empowerment Temple.. I promise, you will be blessed…. Remember that if no one has told you they love you on today…. Please know that “Jesus Loves You, and so do I….”
You have received an evite! Join us in person or online for one of our three Sunday worship services. We look forward to welcoming you Empowerment Temple.
You’re Invited!
You have received an evite! Join us in person or online for one of our three Sunday worship services. We look forward to welcoming you Empowerment Temple.
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) ~ 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?”~
37 Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus loves you NO matter what!
~ Jesus loves you unconditionally!
Good morning to everyone on today, especially my WIFI Ministry Family, friend’s
and all my dear loved one’s…
On Today, I just lift my hands and voice up toward heaven and acknowledge to my heavenly creator how much I love and adore him because he is truly worthy of all of our Praise! I dare you to just stop right where you are and begin to lift up you voice and cry out to God and invite him…
I know that I was created to Worship you dear Jesus and thank you for showing me my purpose… Please know that you are a blessing to the entire world.. You are not a mistake, you are a product of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… Give him praise!!!
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) 7 Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.
1 John 2:6 (NKJV) ~6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as He walked.
Greetings to all my World In Focus International Ministries (WIFI Ministries), family and friends… This morning, I was awakened with a question pondering on my mind: “Do you really care?” As I began to ponder over the question, the reality of the question became more intense in my mind… Do we really care what other people think about us? Our egos tell us NO… I really don’t care, and Heck with what the rest of the world really thinks– I know whats right … Is that the attitude we should possess? Just stop, and ask yourself the question that was asked to me on this morning…. “Do you really care?”
Alright, here’s my answer… Yes, I really do care.. Why? Because it goes back to the basic answer of loving one another… If you say you Love a person like Jesus love us, then we should care… In my 46 years of living, I’ve found out that in this world there are people that will love us to death… Then are people that will like you, then finally, there are people that will plain old hate you for no reason at all…. Now, that part right there is where the answer can change… Do you really value to opinion more of those we love or the ones that tend to persecute us? Of course, the right answer would be the one’s we Love…. But then again, if you
Love the way God has commanded us to Love, can you omit from loving your haters? The right answer is No! We must love everyone because God is Love… Our Holy bible is filled with truths on Love which keepsme going and so intrigued.
I’m reminded of the story in the book of Mark the 4:38 when the disciples was on the boat and a great storm beat upon the ship, and the Disciples woke up Jesus who was asleep on the hinder part of the ship on a pillow… They said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?” What they were saying to him is, “Our Master, do you not care that we are perishing?!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, andthere was a great calm.He said to them, “Why are youso afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another,“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
This story gives me chills down my spine when I read it… So when we have faith, we care… We do care what other’s think and must learn to do good in spite of any situation.. If I had time on today, I could go on and on regarding the matter on caring . I have decided to let you know that we should focus more on Love and caring like Jesus Loves us… You can’t ever go wrong…
When we are no more… Will you leave your great legacy and mark behind, and will you really be remembered for the person you really were…. Leave your mark on the world by being positive and Loving like Christ did…. I truly believe it’s an easy road to travel… ON that note, I want each and every one of you who reads this piece to Know that : “I really do Care, and Jesus does too”
In the book of ROMANS 12:17
Recompense to no man evil for evil” and for good measure
they will throw in, “We are to love our neighbours as ourselves.”
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, …
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, alawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. …
At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ …
Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” …
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. …
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. …
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
I have enclosed the view of a great commentary that I really enjoyed reading…
1 John 2 – IVP New Testament Commentaries
Obedience to God’s Commands
In The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer penned the words, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” (1959:47). Cheap grace means living as though God ignores or condones our sins. But forgiveness means that sin is real, and must be dealt with. We cannot ignore it, because God does not ignore it. The denial of sin is not grace: it is a lie. Cheap grace means living without the demand of obedience upon us.
And where there is no call for obedience, then all things are tolerated. “Do your own thing” becomes the motto. And so nothing can be labeled as “sinful.” No act is clearly right or wrong. Thus, there is no need of forgiveness. But because John insists that God calls us to obey the com mands that have been given, he also reminds us that when we fall short of keeping them, there is forgiveness in Christ. And, to come at it from the other angle, where there is forgiveness available, it follows that cer tain actions–whether thoughts, words or deeds–can be dealt with only when one confesses and is forgiven. In short, the call to confession and the offer of forgiveness go hand in hand with the call to obedience. Cheap grace is grace without obedience, and the Elder knows no such grace. It is not the grace given to us in Jesus Christ.Obedience: The Basis for Assurance (2:3)
Even before we come to the question, What does God want of me? many of us may begin with another question, How can I be sure that I know God? Many faithful Christians struggle with this question. How do I know I’m a Christian? How can I be sure that I do indeed know God? How can I know that I’m not mistaken? The Elder assures his readers that they can have con fidence before God. The confidence that he promises is not a subjective feeling or emotion. It is not necessarily equivalent to feeling good about ourselves. Confidence comes from knowing what God asks of us, and knowing that our aim is to live in conformity with God’s standard. Now surely this sounds like a recipe to trouble souls, rather than for calming the troubled soul. And yet John speaks with encouragement and assur ance as he promises we know that we have come to know him. Where does he derive such assurance?
The statement we know that we have come to know him is the first of many such statements offering assurance to the readers of the epistle (2:5; 3:19, 24; 5:2, 15; compare 2:18, 21, 29; 3:21; 4:13; 5:14, 18-20). Here the author is surely casting a glance at those who have left the church, for they undoubtedly claimed to know God. How does one decide between such personal and conflicting claims? Anyone can claim to know God. Is there a way to begin to assess that claim?
The Elder offers the “test” of obedience as the basis of having assur ance of knowing God. Those who know God are obedient to the com mands of God. And yet such a test scarcely seems calculated to offer the needed assurance to the readers! After all, John has just finished writing of the sinfulness of all people (1:8–2:2). Can one really depend, then, on one’s obedience to God’s commands to give assurance of right re lationship to God? This idea is so central to 1 John that we must examine it more closely.Obedience and Knowledge of God (2:4)
It is important at the outset to put knowledge and obedience in the proper order. Obeying the commands of God is not a test we must pass in order to gain knowledge of God, a prerequisite of knowing God or a condition that must be fulfilled in order to come to know God. Rather, obedience is the manifestation or evidence of knowledge of God.
In light of what the Elder has written about human sinfulness and the need for confession, we can conclude that obeying God’s commands does not require perfect obedience, if by perfect obedience we mean living without sinning. But obedience to God’s commands should be more than an interesting addendum or occasional accompaniment to our lives. “Obeying God’s commands” points to the shape of the Chris tian life as a whole, to the consistency of our discipleship, and not to individual acts taken in isolation. What is not in view is hollow adher ence to a check list of rules or directions to be followed, as one follows a map to a destination or a recipe in a cookbook. If we try to map out obedience to God down to the last detail, then the life of faith loses its character as pilgrimage. Discipleship becomes an obstacle course to see whether we can negotiate each successive obstruction on our own. Obe dience ceases to be response to a living God, and becomes instead a check list of rules. This is a dry and sterile view of Christian discipleship. I am reminded of the student who once asked, “Do you want us just to memorize this, or do we need to understand it?” Some Christians seem to live their lives with the grim intent to “just memorize it,” enjoying none of the fullness and mystery that comes with wholehearted response to the God of our faith.
Some readers may be frustrated to think that all we get by way of answer to the question, What does God want of us? is the response, Obedience to God’s commands. But this is deliberate. We are not given directions, but direction. That direction can be summarized as “walking in the light,” as striving to conform our character to that of God. What C. S. Lewis wrote in another context fits here: “We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules; whereas He really wants people of a particular sort” (1952:77). And the sort of people that God wants are those who hope to conform themselves to the very character of God.
Anyone who has had a hand in raising children knows about the process of shaping people of “a particular sort.” When my daughter throws her food on the floor and I tell her not to do it, I am giving her a command that I would like to be obeyed. But in the end I do not want her to stop dropping her cereal on the floor just because I say so, but because she too recognizes the mess and waste it creates. Rules are given to guide behavior, but they are meant to be appropriated as internal guiding norms, not as external sanctions and prohibitions.
And yet we recognize that the words obey his commands direct the reader toward the concrete and practical. In the Elder’s view, it is inev itable that what is interior must express itself in external and concrete action. “Knowledge of God” is not a sort of vague, unformed, abstract or indefinable private experience, although it may be extremely person al. “Knowledge of God” may express itself in various ways–through love and service to others, in prayer and worship of God, and so on. Here John is concerned to remind his readers that knowledge of God ex presses itself in obedience, and obedience is always measured by con crete actions. After all, Jesus’ obedience was made manifest in the ulti mate sacrifice of his life on the cross.
Thus knowledge of and obedience to God are not entirely equivalent, nor are they unrelated to each other. We may best speak of “keeping God’s commands” as characteristic of knowing God. ” `Keeping the commandments’ (like fellowship with one another, 1:7) is not the con dition, but rather the characteristic of the knowledge of God. There is no knowledge of God which as such would not also be `keeping the commandments’ ” (Bultmann 1973:25). We might say that the question behind these verses is not, How do I get knowledge of God? but, What does knowledge of God look like? How does it express itself? So too the child who knows her parents well also knows their expectations well. And the child who loves and respects her parents, honors their expec tations.
The idea that knowledge of God expresses itself in obedience has its roots in the Old Testament. The prophets especially spoke of knowing God, though more often they rebuked the people for not knowing God (Job 36:12; Jer 9:6; Is 1:3; 5:13; 1 Sam 2:12). The lack of knowledge of God does not imply intellectual inadequacy in comprehending God. Rather it points to a moral failure, to a lack of faithfulness and obedience. Those who know God live according to the way that God prescribes. “Knowing God” is understood in personal, intimate and relational terms.
To claim to love and know God without acknowledging God’s claim upon us is simply hollow. Worse, it is a blatant contradiction in terms. Such a claim manifests a lack of relationship with God, a lack of being in him (v. 5). This phrase calls to mind a sphere in which we live our lives, a realm in which our decisions, choices, behavior and character are shaped. Those who are “in God” are those whose character and behavior are shaped by God’s truth, righteousness and love (Kysar 1986:46). In fact, God’s truth is viewed as something that is active, indwelling and powerful, something that shapes the person in whom it dwells. Obvious ly, then, those who have God’s truth within them, and who know God, will manifest God’s character.
In verse 6 the author speaks of this relationship with God with a new phrase, live in him.Live is the same word that older versions translated “abide”; other modern translations use “remain,” or other variations. “Live” or “remain” strike those of us familiar with the old “abide” as colorless and flat. But the ordinary live serves well for “ordinary people.” First, the term describes “the way in which a human life is determined by a fundamental relationship” (Kysar 1986:46; compare Marshall 1978:127). One lives either in the sphere of light or in the sphere of darkness. Our lives, our daily “walking,” are shaped by the sphere in which we live. Second, in Johannine literature, live regularly connotes faithfulness, steadfastness, perseverance or continuing in allegiance to someone (Jn 8:31). It speaks to ordinary people of the consistency and faithfulness that is required of us. In short, the author’s concept of “abid ing” points to steadfast faithfulness. This is what God wants of us.Obedience and Love for God (2:5)
We come then to the asser tion that if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. Two important items should be noted. First, obedience and love of God are inseparably linked. Love of God, like knowledge of God, is expressed through “keeping God’s word,” through our allegiance to God. Second, note what the author does not say. He does not say that the more we obey, the more we show that we love God. In other words, the Elder is not criticizing Christians for failing to “do enough.” Rather, his statement is directed at those who had left the church and who may have denied the need for obedience in the Christian life. John contends that it is simply impossible to claim to love or to know God without also living in obedience to God. In obedience to the commands, our love for God is truly made complete, that is, not made morally perfect or without flaw, but lived out as it should be.Obedience and the Example of Jesus (2:6)
The perfect expres sion of love for God is found in Jesus’ own example. And so the Elder writes,whoever claims to live in [God] must walk as Jesus did. This statement seems to raise the stakes to an impossible level. Who can live like Jesus did? All of Jesus’ life demonstrated obedience to God, and that obedience was manifested above all in his death on the cross (see Jn 5:19-20; 10:15, 17-18). Again, the point is not that we must manifest perfect obedience in all that we do. Rather we are to reflect on our lives, asking whether our thoughts, words and deeds show that our primary allegiance is to the God who is light.
The point of the admonitions to be obedient, to live righteously or to follow the example of Jesus is not to get us to start doing a number of things simply for the sake of doing them. Rather such admonitions remind us that we have already charted a course for ourselves. As we walk in that course we are reminded to ask ourselves, do these actions belong in the circle of light? The key here is reflection. We are not to be made anxious, but are rather prodded to reflect on what we say and do, how we think, pray, spend our time and money, raise our children, treat our coworkers, spouses and neighbors. Our aim is to live for one master, God alone, in and with all that we do. That is walking as Jesus walked.
So can we ever be sure that we know God? Some people have deep inner peace in their relationship with God. Others seem continually plagued by confusion and doubts. In seeking peace it is wise to keep the ends and means in proper order. Those who seek God are granted a sense of God’s love and acceptance of them. This is the bedrock to which they return in times of crisis, discouragement and anxiety. Those who chase desperately for feelings of assurance usually do not find what they are looking for. If we focus on God and what God has done for us, we are oriented within the circle and guided by its fixed centerpoint. If we focus on ourselves or our own feelings, even with good intentions, we drift without direction or anchor.
