Turn From Death to Life

Thy love is better than wine
The righteous love thee.

Thou whom my soul loves,
Feed me in thy pastures green,
Shading me from the heat of the day.

For I am thy love, you see me
As a company of mares in a king’s procession

Behold, I am pleasant to thine eyes
My eyes are like that of doves,
Peacefully gazing upon the object of their desire

Pure and comely  I am amongst all others,
Thou brought me into thy dwelling place,
Filling me with new wine,
Proclaiming and flaunting thy love for me.

O I am afflicted with love
Sustain me, my Beloved!
Refresh me with thy bounty!

Only thou, my love,
Can draw my heart,
Quicken it to love thee.
O this love for thee is unquenchable!

I proclaim amongst my companions
“Run away with me, my Beloved!
Showing your sweet smelling splendor and strength…”

Song 1:2,4,7,9,15  Song 2:2,5,6,7  Song 8:7,13, 14

Mark 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Do we ask God to bless what we are doing or should we ask him what would bring his blessing and then do it? Two different scenarios. Do we  go ahead and do a work and hope that he will approve of it with our pre-blessing prayer or do we look to see what is his righteous standard and his will and then do it? How many times have we prayed going into an activity, “Lord please bless _____” We are asking him to put his seal of approval on whatever it is we are about to do; instead of placing all of our expectations, our opinions, and our assumptions on that altar and WAITING on him first to show us what his will is(Rom 12:1,2), knowing that he will bless and  then proceed. In Genesis 3:1-6, Eve only assumed that she shouldn’t even touch the fruit, instead of remembering God’s word to just not eat it. And since the fruit looked pleasant, then it must be okay after all. She was deceived into thinking that the end justified the means. Programs, services, fundraisers, so-called revivals, bake sales, softball tournaments etc., that go on in the christianity, in the church system; are they not the work of the flesh? Programs to keep us busy going, doing, and trying to attract unbelievers to visit our services through carnal methods, services to keep us in order and keep us complacent, fundraisers and bake sales to rely on the mammon of unbelievers(3John 5-7), revivals to hype up our emotions(flesh). Does the end really justify the means?

Brethren, we need to be led of the Spirit in all things. Asking ourselves what is our motive in what we are doing, does it glorify God, have I laid down my preconceived notions of what is right or wrong, am I copying the world’s methods instead of the Lord’s . But wholly(heart, mind, soul, strength) put ourselves on that altar of sacrifice and God will show us what he expects, approves of, and consequently blesses.

Rom 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.    And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Joh 15:12-14 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Do we claim to know the one true God and obey him? He commands us, not just asks us to love the brethren. To truly love one another we must look into how how he loves and follow in His example. For being a disciple and the proof of God truly dwelling in us through his Holy Spirit, is evinced by the love we have for each other.

Joh 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1Jn 4:7-13 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

What is the godly kind of love he calls us to? As John 14:12-14 above states “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ” Do we do this? Is it a bother to give up our time to others? Is our schedule too busy to carve out time for a letter, phone call, to encourage, comfort, help others in the body of Christ? One hinderance to loving is that we don’t know those we call our brethren. One morning for two hours a week doesn’t cut it. People can’t get to know the needs of others by looking at the back of their head, sitting in pews one day a week.

1Th 5:11-15 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

The apostle Paul reminds us that we should know those that are in the body. Or else how can you be aware of someone’s needs, lack in finances, sin creeping into their lives. Love helps someone up when they sin or stumble; but if you know not the person and live totally separate existences six days a week, you can’t really know them enough to say, “hey brother, I see a problem here and I am concerned you are not following the Lord in this area of your life”

Jas 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

We can say we love someone, for the words flow easily from our lips, but do we back up those words with deeds. Words can mean nothing, but action proves everything, even the proof of the very life of Christ dwelling in us.

1Jn 3:14-19 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

Our love for each other should not half-hearted also, but fervent (1Pet 4:8), without pretense, without hypocrisy(which is only the words flowing from out lips without action). Seeking not our own but the good of the other person.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Rom 12:9-10 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another

To be fervent means to be ardent, zealous, devoted, eager, and vehement. There is no room for complacency in our love for one another. For if we desire to love like this, just as He did, laying down our whole lives for Him and the brethren, He will gladly show us how to love in the way He does and abound in it. And since it is a fruit of having the spirit Gal 5:22, we know that fruit does not develop overnight. It takes much time to take root and come to fruition. But God is faithful, and if we desire to be like Him, He will bring us to point of maturity. To that point of being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Th 3:12-13 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

2Th 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

Let us so desire to be like him, mature and not babes; so that we spur each other on daily in love until the day of our Lord Jesus’ coming to receive that beautiful and spotless bride for which he laid down his life.

Heb 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Monday June 2

I have started a new page called The Acts Church(link at the top of the page). It is still in the beginning stages; but I have posted some questions for myself and for all you out there that read my blog on a regular basis. Just a few to ponder on, while I put it together. I will start adding my notes to the page along the way until I complete the article(hopefully in the next few weeks)…

Saturday June 14

I am almost finished with the ‘research’ aspect this page. Two other brethren that I fellowship with are going to join me in putting the page together with some insight from their perspective. They are Brandon and Tia from La Via Thank you to all who have been patient while I build this page…

Tuesday June 17

Well we have decided to start another blog together instead of limiting it to one page. The page would have been more like book. We have a few posts/articles already uploaded if you want to take a look. Much more to come soon.  Here’s The Way there…