Titus 1:5-9 – “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you — 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” NKJV

If you allow this short devotional to identify the qualities, qualifications, and characteristics of elders, deacons, overseers, or leaders in the church you make a grave mistake.  We can only highlight some key elements and a full study of the Book would be required to fully identify the function, character, habits, lifestyle, and abilities of true elders, not just man appointed persons to fill positions out of popularity.

Paul spoke to Titus, Timothy, and his sons in the faith regarding the purpose and charge he had left them with.  They had numerous objectives including:

• Set in Order that which was lacking.  In doing that they were to identify and appoint elders in each city with specific function and character traits and qualifications.
• The Elder was to be ‘blameless’, the husband of ‘one wife’, a ‘steward of God, not self-willed, quick-tempered, given to wine, not violent, or covetous on this worlds mammon.  He was to be hospitable, loving the good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the ‘faithful word’ as he has been taught and able to use ‘sound doctrine’ to exhort and convict those who would bring a contradictory gospel.

That is not a small inconsequential list that everyone would meet rather it was a specific that most would not meet the qualifications.  In reading the directions of the apostle to his faith sons this was not ‘get the best you can’ but ‘these are the requirements’ and failure on one front is to fail on all fronts and disqualify or delay the appointment because of the severity, powerfulness, and purpose of the ministry.  This was a leadership role that would help guide and shape lives spiritually. 

You can’t have an elder who is given to intoxicating beverages and as indicated succumb to the temptation to imbibe more than moderation that testimony would not be conducive to the Gospel Message.  If a man had multiple wives and his children were unruly, getting into trouble or mischief he would not be qualified for he is to be able to lead his own home before he can lead the church of the Living God.  Insubordinate insolent children, negatively reflect the depth of the teaching and living of the message in the home and identifies qualifications, for if the bishop has lost his own home how can he influence the homes of others?

The Elder is to be free of greed, hospitable having a genuine love and concern for people, loves what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, and maintains self-control in all things.  He is one who is a student of the world and able to rightly handle the word of truth being able to give answer to every man for the reason of the hope that is in him.  He will face opposition so he cannot be a novice and must have maturity and experience to handle opposition, disappointment, and difficulty. 

His family is unified, his faith is anchored, his commitment is absolute, his studiousness exemplary.  It is not a title he is to receive but a function and in the function a position that requires him to lead.  Qualifications are not just important but essential and Paul is warning his sons in the faith to not appoint unqualified people to the position but find those elders who ‘eld’ and those deacons who ‘deke’.

One of the greatest tragedies in the modern church has been our popular elections to fill positions with titles electing unqualified and ill-prepared people to assume leadership roles.  No wonder the church is often, off course, inconsistent, and powerless.  It is when we have the right people in the right positions doing the right things that we progress and often in a dynamic manner.  The focus becomes HIM (Jesus) not the elder, deacon, pastor, or anyone. 

May God be with you as you seek to bring your life into harmony with His purposes but to see the leadership of your Church God-chosen and God-appointed with God-qualified people!

May God bless you as you go through your day!

Esther 4:15-16 – “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” NKJV

Being willing to die!  There is so much beautiful life truth found in the Book of Esther and the entire Bible for that matter but today the famous words of Queen Esther resonate in my heart like never before, “If I perish, I perish!”

In our pursuit of God’s purposes and kingdom, I believe that our commitment must be ‘to the death’.  If anything, even natural life comes before our commitment to God then our commitment is flawed.  Some time ago we watched the movie “God’s Not Dead.”  I was impressed with the young college freshman and others who were willing to risk their future for God.  We are living in a world that is rapidly moving to a state where Christianity is in the crosshairs and targeted for eradication.  I know some will say, “Roy that is being an alarmist.”  I hope that is exactly what I’m feeling in my heart, but I do not believe the evidence supports that challenge to my position.

The Bible tells us that in the ‘latter times’ or ‘last days’ the condition and position of our world and world leaders will be very anti-God and those who refuse to denounce God and the Lord Jesus Christ will be in danger of annihilation, imprisonment, and more.  Persecution will come and be widespread.  If my commitment and confidence in God will not allow me to face death unafraid then I have to question my commitment and confidence. 

Peter rashly declared when Jesus told him He (Jesus) was going to die that “I will go with you even to death.”  We know that Peter became afraid, intimidated, and denied the LORD not just once but three times as Jesus warned.  Later, Peter became so totally confident in his LORD and his commitment rose to the level that he not only could but did go with Jesus unto death as did most of the original apostles.

We all may face times when we have to stand as Queen Esther and say in our hearts if not with our mouths, “If I perish, I perish!”  If they take our lives what have they done?  They have only escalated our departure into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord.  If my hope is truly in Christ and He is my savior then as Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 – “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”  56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  NKJV

We have a Hope and a Promise that we can depend upon, have confidence in, and make our declaration and commitment – “If I Perish, I Perish!”

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Romans 16:17 – “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.”  NASB

Philippians 3:17 – “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”  NASB

Paul gave us two groups of people to Mark or Identify.He gave specific and definitive directions regarding each group.  One is an enemy of the Local Church and the other is a Powerful Witness for the LORD in the Local Community. Both are to be noted and marked.

The first group to Mark is those that ‘cause division’ and the second group are those who ‘set the right example’.  We are to MARK both groups.  We are to avoid the first group but cling to, immolate, and copy the second. 

The devil wants to infiltrate the church local with the first group and diminish the influence of the second.  He does everything he can to create division in the church.  Sadly, he has been somewhat effective in many churches across America today and rendered them powerless forms but not substance and lasting impact on the community. 

I wish it were not so, but in some churches that are thusly divided by the devil there are no life, vision, spirit, power, or tears and the devil has backed them into a corner where they are holding the fort but not impacting their community.  That is unfortunate and incredibly sad.  They fuss and fume and cannot have a business meeting without war and no board meeting is devoid of conflict.

I refuse to engage in a brawl in the church.  The work of God is too important, and time is too valuable to waste it on what is often pettiness.  There are too many souls perishing, and this is no time for the Body of Christ to engage in childishness and act petulant throwing temper tantrums and pouting if we don’t get our way.  If we are going to fulfill God’s Purpose and Plan for the local church, we must identify the division, call it what it is, and reject it completely. 

The devil cannot defeat the church from without. He can only defeat us from the inside.  Those on the outside can label us however they please, call us anything they desire, spin fabrications about us, assignation of our character, and attempt to shut us down physically but they will never truly be successful Unless we allow division to rule in our midst.  If we do, we step outside the protective covering of the LORD and stand on the devil’s turf and he will make mincemeat of us if we do.  That is not God’s Plan, Purpose, or Promise and we must not settle for less than His best.

The only thing that can destroy any local church is the people in that church.  The devil can only defeat the local church from the inside, but he can never win fighting from the outside.  In order for the devil to hinder the progress of the local church, he must get in the middle of the church and divide it.  Have you ever seen a local congregation where there was a division on the board, among the elders, or people in the pews who will not speak to each other?  Disunity and disharmony run rampant.   Then and only then can the devil hinder the church local.

We are engaged in a War, a Spiritual War and the first thing that we must seek to do is learn all we can about our enemy.  That was one of the areas in which we were often bogged down in Vietnam.  President Johnson often lamented that his intelligence reports were terribly inaccurate.  You have to know all you can about an enemy to fight that enemy effectively.  In WW II we had spies even one of Hitler’s inner circle was forwarding notes of Hitler’s meetings with his generals to the Allied Commanders and often we knew every move he planned.  We secured information on the U-2 rocket that Germany was developing.  Had Germany perfected that rocket, or the jet engine earlier there is a real possibility they could have won the war.  They had superior technology when the war broke out, superior forces and yet we won the war.  How?  We knew more about them than they knew about us and we had prayer backing our forces. 

We need to know our enemy and we must never forget this enemy Hates us.  His prime tactic is to divide and conquer. I want to look more closely at the enemy of which I speak and will need another devotional to accomplish that task or objective.  So, I pause here and wait until the ‘morrow to delve a little deeper into God’s Eternal Love and expose the devil and his strategies.

God, bless you richly is my prayer and desire!

Proverbs 6:16-19 – “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”  NASB

The Bible is filled with instructions as to the individual Christian life and the life of the Church of Jesus Christ.  One of the areas in which God has chosen to devote a lot of focus is Unity.  There are several key passages that relate to that I list them here and hope that you will take the time to read, examine, and study them: 

Proverbs 13:10, 10:12; 26:21; 29:22; 17:14; Philippians 2:3; and 2 Timothy 2:24 are direct and provide an incredible understanding of this subject.  There is nothing that the Enemy of our souls would like better than to destroy the local church.  I believe that is a prime objective of the devil. He hates any local church that is impacting its community for God.  He probably sees the potential of the local church more than the local church sees itself.

Romans 16:17, “Now I beseech you, brethren, MARK them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine you have learned; avoid them.”  That is the kind of language and instruction that comes under fire from many facets of the world and the church today.  It involves Church Discipline and engages in the idea of being separate, not isolationism but separation from sin and sinful lifestyles. 

Paul says, Mark them that cause division among you.  Before you say, “But Roy, that would be judgmental,” remember this is the Word of God and God never puts things in His word without purpose. This is a warning designed to preserve the unity and functionality of the local church.  I am convinced that the only way any church can truly rise to greatness is they learn to dwell together in Unity.  They have a common vision and become Christ-centered and Others-centered.

We are told in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”  Unity is not, compromise but having a common vision and a common set of core values.  In Acts 4:32, we read, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common.”  That was not a plea for a lifestyle of communism or socialism but a plea for Unity. 

Paul instructs believers in Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind one toward another.  Mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate.  Be not wise in your own conceits.”  Then in Romans 15:16, he prayed, “That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Then in 1 Corinthians 1:10, his plea and prayer were, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Unity is essential if we are going to become the Church that Jesus promised to build and the Church that will shake up its world for God.  Unity is essential not just desirable.  A house divided against itself cannot stand and it is critical that we have the same judgment and vision.  We are enjoined by the apostle Paul through the Holy Spirit to “Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3). 

He instructed believers, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see or else be absent, I hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”  (Philippians 1:27).  A few verses later he urged them to walk by the same rule and have the same mind.

Back to the charge or instruction to Mark people.  Although few pastors today and fewer Churches would be willing to engage in this practice it is a biblical concept and something we have abandoned to our hurt as local congregations.  I do not mean nor suggest that we become like the Pharisees but follow the instructions of two passages considering the entire Bible.

In Romans 6:17 we are told to Mark a certain group of people and then in Philippians 3:17, we are told to Mark another group of people.  Both are critical if we are going to be what God wants us to be and for the local church to impact its community as God desires and has designed.

I have laid a foundation that I wish to continue in the next devotional and identify both groups that we are charged to Mark and what we are to do once we have marked them.  We want to discuss the importance and impact of this kind of action as a local church.  

So, until next time, I pray that the LORD will be with you, guard you and guide you in all that you do.

We have been considering the story of Absalom in 2 Samuel 15 and in 15:4 we discover the entrance of a Self-Exalting Spirit or Attitude.  He sat at the gate and attempted to draw people into his camp saying, “Oh that I was made King in the land…”  His implication was clear, “I handled Amnon when the King failed, and were I King I’d handle the problems of the nation properly.” 

If we go back to 15:3 we discover the Spirit of Deception not only of himself but the people.  He pretended to care about each person’s needs and problems and attempted to highlight the failure of the King.  It was even a suggestion that maybe the King didn’t really care, but Absalom was the people’s king and cared deeply.  Yes, he cared deeply but about Absalom and Absalom only. 

If you follow the story it is a great movie with a plot easily followed.  He would sit in the gate where he knew people would pass and ask seemingly harmless questions.  He would shout to people things like, “What village are you from?  What tribe are you?”  I hear that in the Church world today and it is always troubling.  Absalom was motivated by his own agenda not the needs of the people.  He was seeking to find out what the people were concerned about and he would then address those concerns with his suggestion that “If I were king all would be handled.” 

I have seen the Absalom Spirit operate in churches and it always leads to confusion, chaos, and even death spiritually if not dealt with quickly and scripturally.  We hear politicians and even churches declare, “If I were in charge, you’d get what you need handled properly…” 

Sadly, these people prey on individuals who are struggling to get through life and deal with the hand they have been dealt and, in their struggles, they are susceptible to this type of deception.  I have heard questions like, “What do you think of what is happening in the church?  What are the leaders doing about this or that?  How are the services going?  Is the church growing?  Do you feel comfortable with what is going on?”  Those and more are asked, and they sound harmless and sometimes might be, but they are usually designed to elicit the response, “Well, now that you asked…”  Suddenly, some find themselves on the wrong end of a rebellion and tragedy occurs.

David’s men chased Absalom into the forest and the Bible says that more men were lost in the forest, that day than perished by the sword.  If we understand that the forest represents confusion, a place where finding directions are difficult and we are easily lost, we catch a picture of the Bible’s imagery and truth for us to glean.  Confusion ends in devastation.  James 3:16 unveils this danger, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there is disorder and every evil thing.”  That is not a place for the Church to thrive or survive! 

Absalom was driven by hate and selfishness and his rebellion resulted in his destruction and damaged the entire nation in the process.  I was in a church some time ago and felt compelled by the Lord to warn about Absalom. I warned that this spirit never came through the front door and openly declared its intentions but used deception. 

I learned later that there were people in the church working behind the scenes and subtly to overthrow the leadership and had they not been exposed would have split the local congregation.  God caused people to become aware of the Deception and over the next few months, they rejected the rebellion and restored the church to health.  God knows and if we are forewarned, we are forearmed.

May the Lord be with you and richly bless you as you embark on today’s journey in Him!

I am always careful when I speak in local congregations.  I want to “know” that what I am presenting is what the Spirit of God deems is needed for that moment, that people, and this time.  I take that path because I am convinced that it is the Word of God and the Spirit of God that bring Life to the Body.  Experience alone will not produce Life.  It can be and often is a marvelous teacher, but Life is from the Spirit and the Word. 

I am careful because I know that sometimes what God wants to be said is not always coated with sugar and dripping with honey.  Most people, I have discovered, do not want to hear “Do Not Do Something.”  Some even become stiff-necked and determined to do it anyway when they hear that warning.  We want to hear blessings not warning, correction, or even instruction. 

But we need to hear God’s warning, receive His correction and instruction because it helps to mature us spiritually.  I have found that the “less mature” a congregation or individual is the more they resist warning, correction, and instruction.  I have found few times that a word of correction was received with someone responding, “Thank you so much for that word.” 

I believe that there are several specific things God is speaking to His people about or through today.  If we are going to truly discover where God wants to take us, we need to hear The Warning!  I can tell where a church or person is spiritually by the questions they ask or don’t ask. 

I have often gone to the biblical account of Absalom, David’s son from 2 Samuel 15.  Absalom is a tragic story and reveals clearly, that “potential” and “appearance” can turn into “rebellion” and utter “disaster.” 

Sadly, in this account, Absalom was not the only person affected by his failure spiritually and morally.  He was “heir apparent” to the Throne of David.  From all indications, he was personable, handsome, filled with charisma, and demonstrated incredible potential.  Yet, deep in his heart, he allowed a “root of bitterness” and a “spirit of unforgiveness” to shipwreck his life. 

He fell prey to a Deceptive Spirit and developed a Spirit of Rebellion that almost destroyed the nation.  I have used the saying often, that “anyone who will not follow and submit to human authority, will not submit to divine authority.”  The Books of Proverbs and James speak to this and addresses pride, jealousy, and selfish ambition as being the root and source of confusion, discord, division, and ultimate destruction.  [Proverbs 16:18; 13:10; 29:23; and James 3:16]

In Absalom, we see the development of Rebellion and there is a clear path we all need to know and take pains to avoid in our own lives and local fellowships.  Consider them with me briefly:

• He Developed a Spirit of Hatred.

Hate usually springs from the root of injury or perceived injury to our ego, pride, person, or the infringement upon our perceived rights.  That began in Absalom as we see in 2 Samuel 13 with the rape of Tamar, his sister by his brother Amnon. That is clearly revealed in verse 22 where we discover that Absalom developed a “deep hate” for his brother. 

Amnon is not defendable but hate is not the right path to resolving any issue.  Proverbs warns that Hate stirs up strife and keeps us in spiritual darkness and John even called it equivalent to murder.  That is painful for some.  [Proverbs 10:12; 15:17; 1 John 2:9; 3:15].  Hate is cancerous in its destruction. It grows and spreads and breeds prejudice and blinds us to our own flaws and skews judgment.  It becomes vengeful and blocks out forgiveness.  As Absalom continued in his refusal to forgive, he became consumed with a Spirit of Hate. 

• He Developed a Spirit of Revenge.

If anyone allows hatred to thrive and refuses to forgive past wounds and hurts a spirit of revenge will find fertile ground in their heart and tragedy can only be the result.  Let me state here that Amnon was a skunk of the worst kind and deserved punishment.  But Amnon, as verse 23 reveals let this fester for two years and then finally murdered his brother out of hate and a desire for revenge.  

Murder is wrong regardless of the reasons or supposed justifications.  When we follow the path of revenge, we usurp God’s authority and develop a spirit of self-righteousness that is anything but righteous.  God said, through Paul in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay says the Lord…”  In verses 20-21 we discover God’s attitude toward our enemies and that pill is hard to swallow.  That is something that Moses taught in Deuteronomy. 

Revenge demands “my rights.”  Love takes the position “I have no rights but am a bond slave of Jesus.”

• He Manifested the Spirit of Selfishness.

Proverbs 16:2 tells us that in a person’s own eyes they are righteous and just, but God does not see things as we, and He weighs motives not just actions.  The result of Absalom’s actions caused him to be exiled for a time.  After 3 years he is brought back but the King refuses to hear him for 2 full years.  He had no remorse and is so filled with hate and self that all he could see was his agenda. 

When a person allows hate to have its full vent, they develop an intense lack of respect for authority, even God’s authority.  He burned Joab’s field to get what he wanted and that fed his own misguided image of his person and power.  Absalom became a danger to himself and the nation because he allowed hurt to fester to the point of hate and hate produced the desire for vengeance and that produced a Spirit of Rebellion.

I do not want to end there but will take this up a bit more in the next devotional but for now, I pray that the Lord help each of us to reject hate and run to the Cross with any hurts and wounds festering in our hearts.  Help us, Lord, to forgive and be forgiven.   

May the Lord richly bless, guard, and guide you on this day!

1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  NASB

The Law stirs up sin, but Grace applies the healing balm of the Gospel.  Humanity stood steeped in sin and The Law came.  What many missed is that The Law was continually pointing to LOVE!  Man, would look at The Law and Commandments and say, “That is a wonderful idea.  I wish I could do that.”  

Mankind has, in many ways, acknowledged that a Society of Love is needed but man’s heart resists and rejects that idea.  The root is that we want the rest of the world to demonstrate Love but allow us to continue in our selfishness. That produces incredible despair in the heart of man. 

Let me offer something that might sound controversial, Jesus came as the first true human, who walked on this planet and lived God’s kind of Love!  That is the very reason that religion was always so angry with Him.  The political powers of that Day did not care about Jesus, He meant nothing to them.  The people who were threatened by Him, those who were violently angry with Him were the Religious. 

The best that religion could produce were the Pharisees.  Tragically, they would fit in well in too many churches in our day.  They were scandalized by Jesus because the Love of God is scandalous to Good Religion. After all, it loves the worst and the bad.  It loves people that, other human beings have given up on.  If you will recall, Jesus sat and ate with prostitutes.  Not to partake of their sin but to love them as people. He went to the sinners, the tax collectors, and those considered the dregs of society.

Jesus Loved Everyone!  It often upsets legalists when I say, “The first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine.”  Imagine that!  What in the world was He doing at a party where there was drinking?  He is the Messiah; shouldn’t He have been at a prayer meeting not at some worldly event?  The Religious got together in their self-righteous societies and said, “He eats & drinks with SINNERS!”   He embraces people who are not like us!   Does that sound familiar? 

That happens today.  I remember back in my early years of ministry there was much ‘clothesline preaching.’  There were sayings that were meant to poke fun at the over-stressing of the outward like, “I don’t drink, I don’t chew, and I don’t go with girls that do.”  

Tragically, too often, we draw our circles and say, “We are other. Those not of us are less than we are.  We are holy.”  The Pharisees would not even talk to the Samaritans, because a Samaritan could never be saved, nor could prostitutes or tax collectors.  It was a very exclusive society and, in their minds, if a Tax Collector began to confess his sins today, he’d be dead before he could possibly finish confessing. 

I find it very interesting that Jesus drew out some of His best friends from among the Tax Collectors.  He went to Samaria and even sat down in public with a woman – GOD FORBID!  The Religion of the Legalist may come disguised as Love, but it does not fit or follow the rules of Love.  Manmade religion is horrified by God’s Love because it only knows how to love like a good human being.  It wants the best people in its membership and Love destroys that!  Jesus was their thorn in the flesh, and they crucified Him.  Little did they know that in crucifying Him, He was dying for them.  They didn’t even know enough to say, THANK YOU!

Just before Jesus died to take away the sin of the world, he made some incredible statements that are critical for our understanding.  He said, “Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone.  But if it drops into the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit.”  What a simple but powerful illustration! 

We know exactly what it means.  If you only have one grain of wheat and plant it, the Law of Harvest comes into play and it springs forth producing many more than the original seed.  The fruit is exactly like the original.  I know you see it.  Jesus was saying, “There is only one of Me.  No one has ever lived God’s love before Me.  I am going to fall to the ground and die.  If I do not there will never be but one of Me.  BUT, if I do, then I’ll bring forth much fruit.”  There are and have been millions like Him and that is the desire of God for mankind. 

Jesus came to forgive us of our sin.  That is the handle on the door of the kingdom.  He came to produce persons who Love as He Loves!   In the Law of Harvest, the original brings forth after its kind.  Millions just like Jesus!   We are the New Creation that God brought forth after His kind.  He brought forth Lovers who Love Like Jesus! 

The fascinating thing is that the disciples heard things like this but did not understand until after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit began to teach them.  They were fascinated with the Power and missed the most important Love.  But Love is the Greater Work!  It is greater than miracles!  If we can love as Jesus loved, then we won’t have to worry about keeping the Law it will become second nature to us and an outflow of Love.  If we love like Jesus loves we won’t need a law that says, “Thou shalt not kill or steal, etc.”  Love, not only does not kill, it lays down its life for its enemies. 

            What the world needs now is Love, Sweet Love!   God, bless you as you embrace the Love of God being shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit.