The Most Important Part of the Bible

I was asked by a friend on Facebook, “David, what part of the Bible you think is the most important? I heard a very interesting reply from clergymen on this subject. I'm interested what your opinion is.”

That is a very interesting question.  Immediately, verses and subjects popped into my head, but I somehow knew they were all wrong.  I stopped and listened to that still small voice and  I think God answered.

The most important part of the Bible is that which you need for your life right then.

For someone who has lost a loved one and is in great emotional pain, they need to know the comfort of God.  When you do not know Jesus as your personal savior, you need to know that salvation comes only through trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin.  When your lonely and feel like the world is against you, you need to know that Jesus loves you and will never leave you.

We are all in different stages of our lives physically, emotionally and spiritually.  What you need to  hear from God is not necessarily what I need to hear.  Where God would take you in the Bible is not going to be the same  place God takes me.

Pray to the lord and tell Him where your heart is.  Allow Him to lead you in your Bible reading and pray for His wisdom to understand it.  Then quiet your heart to listen to that still small voice of God as He teaches you the most important truth you need in your life.

Photo Credit: Bible Study 2 by George Bannister

Love vs. Hate and Love vs. Selfishness.

The opposite of emotional love is hatred.  Love is a feeling of euphoria, attracting you to someone, while hatred is a feeling of disgust and loathing towards someone.

The opposite of God’s love, which we are called upon to embrace in our lives, is selfishness.  God’s love can manifest an emotional sense of love, but never confuse the emotion for the true substance of love.  God’s love does not depend upon emotions.  It depends upon our willingness to give ourselves to God and place His will above our own.  It is sacrifice.

"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." 1 John 3:16

Everyday God calls upon His followers to lay down their lives.  Everyday you are called to a sacrificial life for the sake of others.  This is love.  Love is sacrifice of self.  Love is placing others interest above your own. It means being a servant to all.

It doesn’t matter how you feel about someone.  You could hate that person emotionally and yet love them with the Love of God.  You need to sacrifice your hatred on the alter of God and love them for the sake of their eternal soul.  That is not easy, but it is what God calls us to do.

Is there someone in your life you hate?  Someone you would love to see in some sort of pain?  Whatever they have done to you, God calls you to love them.  He does not call upon you to stop feeling emotionally negative towards that person, but you are called upon to love them.  Put them first before your own desires. 

Loving someone does not mean you let them hurt you again.  Loving another person does not mean demeaning yourself or exposing yourself to that person’s negativity towards you.  Perhaps, you can not be around them without enduring some type of harm.  In that case you do what you can.  Pray for them.  Pray for God to bless them and take care of them.  Do whatever you can to be a positive force in their life.  That is the love God calls you to.

Photo Credit: PRAYERS & PROMISES FOR EVERY DAY - Corrie ten Boom by Corrie ten Boom

John 3:16 “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Whosoever” does not exclude anyone. Let me make this perfectly clear.  This means you, as you are, warts and all.

“Believeth” Does not mean head knowledge.  You can know a chair will hold you up but to sit in that chair is true belief that it will.  Knowing God exist is one thing but believing in God means trusting Him with the full weight of your life and soul.

“Not perish”  Yes there is a Hell.  It is a real place where people who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior will go.  Why send them to a place of torment?  Actually God sends them where they have choose to go.  People choose to trust God in their lives or trust themselves.  Those who choose to go without God will be sent to Hell where God does not exist.  Being without God will be true torment and pain.

“Everlasting life” Those who trust God for their salvation will live forever with Him in paradise.  The greatest part of this is not the streets of gold or mansions.  It will be the opportunity to get to know God face to face.  The greatest being in all the universe was willing to die so that you and Him could be friends and have the universe for a playground together.

Other post on John 3:16:
For God
so loved
the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.

Photo Credit: Pearly Gates by Andy Hares

Discerning the Movements of the Spirit

How do you know if something is from God?  Read this excellent post from Travis Kolder.  He is a man of Godly wisdom.  Click on the link below.

Discerning the Movements of the Spirit

John 3:16 “…that he gave his only begotten son,…”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Before we look at the word “gave” lets look at what God gave to the world. God gave what was “his”, so it belonged to Him. God can create anything and as many as He wants too. For God to give something to the world is no great sacrifice, except in this case where the gives His “only” begotten son. There is no other son like this one. He is unique and irreplaceable. This is a true sacrifice on God’s part.

This son is the only “begotten” son. That means God and the son are related by nature and not by adoption. It does not mean that God created the son, since both live in the realm of eternity. Neither of them have a beginning. This is simply talking about a relationship between the two.

The “son” is under the father’s authority by choice. The son placed himself under the authority of the father. They have the same nature of love and trust, and out of that love and trust the son placed himself under the father. The son is the perfect son of God and there is no one like him in all the universe. He is obedient to the father out of choice.

Now lets go back to the word “gave”. The only way for the world to receive the gift of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was for God to give him to us. How can we ever pay for having Jesus? Is he worth all that we own? Sorry but we don’t own enough to purchase him even if we owned the whole world. Can we work hard and do enough good deeds? Your works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We could work ourselves to death doing good deeds and never do enough.

To sell the son would be to say his worth is only so much. It would be insulting to put a price tag on the life of God’s only begotten son. If God wanted to save the world He had to give the greatest gift that He possibly could give. Out of His love for the world, God sacrificed what only He could give. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

Other post on John 3:16:
For God
so loved
the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.

Photo Credit: Jesus on the Cross by fa73

John 3:16 “...the World...”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I am sure you noticed that this verse does not say “For God so loved ‘most of’ the world”.  God means what He says and we need to believe Him.  It is amazing how so many people think that there is an exception to the word “world”

God loves every race of humans.  If we discriminate against someone based on race or color then we are discriminating against someone God created and loves.  God did not make a mistake when He made someone a different color then we are.

God loves rich and poor.  When we lift someone up because they are rich, or promote someone over another because they are poor, we are saying God was wrong to give that person the station in life that they hold.

God loves you.  He knows all the wrong you have done.  God saw every evil thing you ever did and yet He loves you and accepts you.  There are no strings attached to God’s love.  He does not require you to change before accepting His love.  He only requires you to accept it and believe it. He wants to hold you even if you’re all muddy and dirty with sin.

Read this verse again but this time put your name in place of ‘world’. For God so loved you, even when you were in the deepest, darkest, most despicable pit of sin.  God’s love is greater then your sin.  God’s love is for you.  He is ready to embrace you as soon as you come to Him

Other post on John 3:16:
For God
so loved
the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.
.

Photo Credit: Vortex new year 2000 party by mallix

John 3:16 “…so loved…”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I mentioned in my previous post "John 3:16 “For God…”" that God is “the most wondrous and dangerous being to ever live.”  That statement is very true.  He is wondrous; but He is also dangerous.  Anyone can take your life from you, but only God can send your soul into the eternal fires of Hell.  Luke 12:5 "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

The next two words of John 3:16 tell us the driving force of God.  Everyone has something which compels them into the actions they commit.  With God, love is not only the driving force, but it is His very being. 1 John 4:8 says, "...God is love"

Love is a word we use all the time.  “I love this chocolate cake.” “I love chocolate.” “I love that show.” I love how this car handles.” “Of course I love you.”  We use the word love so much to describe our feelings and desires, that I fear it has become almost empty of meaning. Many times, Love is simply a pawn in a game to us.  We use love to get the things we want.

When God uses the word “love” He fills the meaning with His very being.  To Him love means an unconditional commitment that is backed by His very life.  He never uses the word flippantly.  Everything He is and does is because of Love.

Other post on John 3:16:
For God
so loved
the world
that he gave his only begotten son
that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.
Photo Credit:Love Game by Juliana Coutinho