Loving Others and Loving God

³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. KJV Matthew 25:34-40


So, Jesus is saying here that what we do unto others, we are truly doing to Him, our Father, who loves us with a love beyond anything we've known before. It is an endless love, totally selfless and unconditional. So, how do we want to treat our Father in Heaven? Do we want to love, serve and obey Him with all our hearts, minds and souls? How we love people is how we are loving Him, right now. So, how can we better love others? There are endless ways in which to love. Sometimes it is just being there for someone to lend an ear to listen. Sometimes it is by praying for them. What about the people who have less than we do? The ones who have no family to care for them, or who have no home to live in? We can feed and clothe them and share with them all that God has given to us. We can freely love them, unconditionally, with all our hearts. There are so many avenues to serve in and so many different kinds of ministries. God has blessed us all with gifts given to us solely for the purpose of sharing them with others. What are your gifts? The gift of teaching? Counseling? Music? Healing? Whatever your gifts may be, don't be afraid to use them or allow them to collect dust, for they were only given to us to be given away to others. There are countless numbers of needy people in this world. We can't go out alone and help all of them, but we can each help those whom God places in our lives, and in that way, we all truly are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. This is what God wants us to do after all, to do His Will and share His Love. The greatest way to share His Love is to share His Gospel of Truth and Grace with others, that they may be made free in the Lord as well. However God chooses to accomplish that in your life is a beautiful and divine gift. God bless you all my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. KJV Matthew 22:36-40

My Beloved daughter . . .
You need never be afraid to stand up and do what is right, My child. I will always go ahead of you and prepare the way. I rescued Daniel from the mouth of the lions and delivered David from the hands of his enemies. Can you trust that I am strong enough to handle any situation? I truly want what is best for you. Take courage and walk in My strength, not your own. Face every situation head-on—armed with the sword of the Spirit, the belt of truth, the armor of righteousness, and the shield of faith. You never need to turn your back and run—I will empower you and protect you. Just stand firm and pray and you
Will find the strength and passion to Stand!
Sheri Rose Shepherd ~~~~~Jennifer

What’s Right with KJV-Onlyism?

By David W. Daniels

A friend just showed me the website of a Christian minister who has begun speaking out against “KJV Onlyism.” Wait a second. God wrote only one Book. So what’s the problem with me trusting and submitting to that one Book, God’s preserved words in my language, the King James Bible? Why did they decide to name-call and label our simple trust in God’s words “KJV-Onlyism?” You’ll understand in a bit.

Anything But-ism

Have you ever tried to get these guys to state what they do believe? It’s harder than it looks. Try asking them this: “If not the KJV, what Bible do you accept as your absolute authority? What words will you submit to?”

They may hem and haw about the “Original Greek and Hebrew” (which nobody has) or say “I like so-and-so version.” But nail them down. Or at least, try to. What you’ll find is they have no absolute authority. So they’ll accept almost any Bible—anything but the King James!

The problem for these guys is that if they willingly submit to what God actually said, they cannot “squirm out” of any of His commands or teachings that they don’t like. They don’t have that problem with modern Catholic and so-called “text-critical” Bibles. These give lots of “wiggle room” for Bible disbelievers to feel comfortable in their sin. If they don’t like one version, they’ll switch to another one that allows them their “personal preferences.”

Loophole Bibles

One popular “preference” these days is homosexuality. From 1984-2010 the NIV claimed “homosexual offenders” would not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). This left a huge loophole. Many homosexuals claimed, “I’m gay, but I’m not an ‘offender,’ so that verse doesn’t apply to me.”

The Message Bible is even worse, saying their sin is reduced to being “all lust, no love” in Romans 1:27. And it turns a clear list of gay behavior and nine other specific sins in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 into this mishmash: “…riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever!” (The Holy Ghost does not convict people for the sin of “whatever!”)

Many assume they have the right to lie. There are 20 Bibles on the market that grant them permission, by omitting a single word in John 7:8. As a caller claimed on a Christian radio show, “It’s okay for me to lie, because Jesus lied to His brothers!” (See Look What’s Missing, Chapter 1.)

God’s Words Only

By contrast, the King James Bible has been proved (tested and approved) for over 400 years. God has used these words powerfully to convict the hearts of millions of believers. As He said to Jeremiah:

“Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

Every word of scripture is inspired and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And I can be sure of what God said, what it means, and how I must behave, because I have the scripture clearly written in English, the King James Bible.

“KJV-Only” simply means “God’s Words Only.” We trust it as our only written, absolute standard for faith and behavior. All the “Anything But-ists” seem to trust is their personal preferences, which can (and do) change from Bible version to Bible version. You can take your pick.

Just remember that one day we’ll have to give account to God for whichever we choose (Romans 14:12).

Forgetfulness

One of the most prevalent issues God has with His children is their forgetfulness.  The Bible is littered with the forgetfulness of God's people.   The primary reason we are forgetful  is the plague of  our own desires and how competitive they are with the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  

Often, our desires are met with difficulties and pressure that tempt us to say:  I can handle this.  If I sense that I'm losing control,  I'll just quit.  I won't let it get out of control.   The problem with such thinking is that in the erosive grip of our vain desires, the heart is increasingly desensitized to the precious memories of God's gracefulness.   A desensitized heart cannot sense the deception and increasing danger of forgetfulness.  Note 2 Peter 1:9... But he that lacketh these things (referring to verse 8 of God's goodness) is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hathforgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Forgetfulness can be dangerous, whether it is intentional or an oversight.  The Israelites littered their history with forgetfulness as they allowed themselves to be seduced by the allurements of the world.  The more we allow ourselves to be tempted with the pleasures of this world or allow ourselves to be intimidated by the pressures of life;  we become less inclined to remember the goodness of God. 

How could Israel turn from God and worship idols after God blessed them repeatedly?  Ultimately, Israel took God for granted.  As we observe the Israelites,  we should ask ourselves... do we allow God's blessings to nurture a spirit of gratitude that draws us to greater transparency with Him... or do we allow the deception of self-sufficiency cultivate a pattern of forgetfulness?

The only advantage a Christian can employ under pressure and avoid falling victim to the danger of forgetfulness is an unveiled openness before God. The opposite of this is a self-willed, ill-guided heart that ultimately forgets the source of blessings that lead us to a sense of futility in all that we do and become. We impoverish and weaken ourselves all because we will not remember or habitually meditate on God's goodness. 

Fortunately,  God does not forget us.  It is for this reason that God applies pressure in our lives that stirs remembrance of His graciousness.   If you are faced with the question of whether or not to yield your heart to the indwelling Holy Spirit;  then make a determination to go through whatever pressure God has permitted;  surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. You will take great pleasure in knowing that you are not forgotten. Amen.

Sincerely Dr. Arthur Belanger