I Love You BUT I Don’t Like You

houseWhen God says I love you He is saying just that.  Where did we come up with the I don’t like you part?  Perhaps, we want to say I don’t like what you’ve said/done but I have to love you because God says so.  Hmmmmm  I really don’t think the intent of the command to love others has anything to do with a qualification (but I don’t like you).

There are 3 basic commands in the New Testament…Love God and love others!  (Matthew 22:35-40)  Go and Tell! (Matthew 28:19)  Do any of those say BUT I don’t have to like you, your actions, your opinions, your stuff…?

"These 15 (crash!).... er, 10 Commandment...

When God says love me that’s exactly what it means.  The first 4 commandments of the 10 are about loving God.  He says I AM God!  You can have no other gods in any form whether spiritual or physical.  Honor My Name.  Worship me on the Sabbath and rest from all else.  How do those equal love?  Think about this.  When we are with those we love we focus totally on them, we honor them, we let nothing get in the way of our relationship with them, we set aside time to be totally with them.  That is how we are to love God!

How we are to love others is commanded in the next 6.   Honor your parents!  Do not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or want what belongs to someone else.   This is where the ‘but I don’t like you’ comes into play.  We get ourselves into a self-righteous attitude and say I don’t like you because you…  We have to get over ourselves!  Doesn’t God say I AM God and you’re not?  Stop separating the two.  I love you, period.

Fish hook loveLove is wanting what is best for another.  It is not wanting what is best when we say, but I don’t like you.  When a person hears, I don’t like what you are doing or saying, they immediately equate it to I don’t love you.  Oh, dear friends, take these words out of your vocabulary!  They are not God-like.  If we truly want to become more like Him we cannot allow our human attitudes to have a part in how we love.  Let nothing get in the way of simply loving!

Oh, How He Loves Us!

Oh, Heavenly Father, let me simply show love.  Keep me constantly aware of Your example.  Let me show love in Jesus’ Precious and Holy name.  Make it so!

Happy Birthday, America!

220px-Spirit_of_'76“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

26 of the original signers of the Constitution were ordained ministers and it is likely the rest were Believers in Christ.  They all took an oath to the effect that if they did not uphold the document they were signing into law they would be hanged.  Words in this document attest to the Creator who gave man life and “certain unalienable rights”.   They would have rather died than be at the mercy of a government that did not have their best interests at heart!

For many, prayer in any place but the privacy of home or church, is not allowed.  That was not the intent of the founding fathers.  Part of the reason for the Revolutionary War, in addition to the taxation issue, was that England wanted the colonists to recognize the Church of England as the only Church of America.  Prayer, worship, and the Bible were a huge part of the Revolutionary American’s life.  The Founding Fathers would have rather been hanged than deny their oath…   Our current government would like us to believe that prayer is not acceptable in public…pretty much not at all, anywhere.  Yet belief in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the desire to respect and glorify Him in this new country is very evident in the first prayer uttered at the first meeting of Congress.

September 7th, 1774
Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, High and mighty King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who dost from Thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments:

Look down in mercy we beseech Thee, on these American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of oppression, and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring henceforth to be dependent only on Thee, they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone canst give; take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause; and if they persist in their sanguinary purpose, O, Let the voice of Thy own enerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! 

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; the order, harmony and peace may be effectively restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety prevail and flourish among Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seeth expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of JESUS CHRIST, THY SON, OUR SAVIOR.

AMEN

-Rev. Jacob Duché

Dear, dear friends, pray for this country, it’s people and it’s leaders.  God clearly said, “…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:14

This should be our humble and fervent prayer...IF MY PEOPLE…

Heavenly Father, 237 years later, we are still oppressed by our government, yet You have said if we will pray, You will heal our land.  Well right now I’m asking that You hear that prayer from me.  Forgive us, give us strength and courage to stand as Daniel did against a modern Babylon.  Help us all seek your face and forgiveness.  Give us strength and courage to stand for YOU!  I lift this prayer in Jesus’ most Holy and Precious Name.  Make it so!!!

Heaven Is!!!

thCA8GZJYEA sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die.  Tell me what lies on the other side?” Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?  You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door;  on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my god?  He’s never been in this room before.  He didn’t know what was inside.  He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.  I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing…” “I know my Master is there and that is enough.” On this Memorial Day Weekend take the time to remember those who have gone into the Master’s arms.

Oh, How He Loves You and Me!!! Worship Him in song…   Thank You by Ray Bolz.

Revelation 21:1-5      Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.  They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Revelation 22:1-5     Then the angel showed me the river of the Water of Life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.  On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.  And leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse.  The Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night.  They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign for ever and ever.  

Revelation 22:20-21      He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.  Amen.  

Heavenly Father, make it so!

Jehovah Jirah

tetragrammatonOf all God’s names and characteristics Jehovah Jirah speaks most loudly to me.  There are actually several interlacing characteristics to this Hebrew term.

First, He is the One who sees.  He sees every second of my life and knows what is needed.  He puts everything in place so that my life will play out His purpose.  Galations 4:4 gives us a great picture of what this means.  It says, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…”  The fullness of time refers to the fact that everything was in place, everything had happened as it needed to, and God was providing what was needed.  Is that awesome or what? Every single gift, event, circumstance, trial and more is planned out by My Provider so when it reaches me it is the ‘perfect gift’. (James 1:17)

Another layer of Jehovah Jirah is that He is showing us.  He is revealing to us what He wants us to know as we seek His purpose for our lives.  He supplies everything that that we need for every part of our lives.  Paul tells us, “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory…” (Philippians 4:19)

The third part of the Name is He is my provider.  Even though it is often the first thought that is applied to the Hebrew word (Jehovah Jirah)  the actual meaning goes far beyond material needs.  As the Creator of ALL that is, was, and is to come, there is nothing that is not at His disposal for me (us).  It is His to give whether it be physical or spiritual.  And more than that He wants to!!!!

Worship Him in song!     JEHOVAH JIRAH

Jehovah Jirah, my Provider, how can I say thanks for what You have provided and will continue to provide.  Yet I must.  It is incredible that my little speck of life is of such importance to You that You have orchestrated all that must happen to show Your Glory!  Thank You for humbling me with Your greatness!  Use my life, Lord!  Make it so in Jesus Precious Name!

The Stations of the Cross

triptychI spent most of yesterday at the Toledo Museum of Art. (BTW one of my favorite places to visit) I love Monet and Van Goth.   However, for me, the best part of the Museum is the Cloisters.  It is designed to look like a commons area for a monastery or convent.  Around the  room are placed many Christian art pieces.  My favorite is a very small triptych of the Stations of the Cross.  Thinking about the pictures and their significance to the believer I decided to do some research as to what these ‘stations’ were.

This liturgy (set of scriptures) is often used on Good Friday to focus the mind on Jesus’ final week.  The stations range from seven to fifteen.  Interestingly, I found only one that included the Resurrection.  This made me wonder what is the point of the Cross without the Resurrection?

The stations and their matching Scripture:

gardenJesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Matthew 26:36-41

judasJesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested.  Mark 14:43-46

 

 

 

sanJesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin.  Luke 22:66-71

 

deniedJesus is denied by Peter.  Matthew 26:69-7

 

 

 

judgedJesus is judged by Pontius Pilate.  Mark 15:1-5, 15

 

 

 

 

scourgedJesus is scourged and crowned with thorns.  John 19:1-3

 

bearsJesus bears the Cross.  John 19:6, 15-17

 

 

 

 

helpedJesus is helped by Simon to carry the Cross.  Mark 15:21

womenJesus meets the women of Jerusalem.  Luke 23:27-31

 

 

 

 

cruxJesus is crucified.  Luke 23:33-34

 

thiefJesus promises His Kingdom to the good thief.  Luke 23:39-42

 

 

 

 

marryJesus speaks to His mother and the Beloved Disciple (John)  John 19:25-27

diesJesus dies on the cross.  Luke 23:44-46

 

 

 

tombJesus is placed in the Tomb.  Matthew 27:57-60

aliveHe is risen! As He said!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I sincerely hope those of you reading this will take the time to look up these scriptures and ponder the Via Dolorosa.  Another name for the Stations of the Cross.

Father, You alone created this event to pave the way for our sins to be forgiven.  The Last Sacrifice has been made.  The Lamb is on the Throne.  He is Risen!  Amen and Amen!