Testimony

1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, 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.” NKJV

Imagine a God who is Omniscient (all knowing) who does not like us. That is a horrific thought, right? Most of us have or have had a secret(s) that we were ashamed to confess even to our closest friends but God KNOWS everything about us and knows our thoughts even before we think them. The terror that would accompany the thought that God who knows all about us and does not even like us would drive us suicidal. He would be an infinite monster!

The Bible never says: God HAS Power or Love it says HE IS! Love is not something apart from Him it is WHO HE IS. But what is Love? What is Love as it is spoken of here in this passage? Love, in the English language has become almost a worthless word for we apply it to so many things and give it some many shades of meaning. What do we think of when we say or hear Love?

Let me suggest a possibility: It means that we reach out to someone we can reasonably count on that is in our class. Before you get self-righteous and pious, that is exactly what most of us do much of the time if not all the time. In European history when a member of a royal family fell in love with a commoner they were fired. If the king fell for a commoner and married them he would be required to give up his throne. Likewise when we humans fall in love we tend to keep within our self-imposed boundaries. Naturally we do not talk about it and possibly refuse to admit it but we do it.

When we say LOVE what do we mean? If I love a person I am acknowledging that person calls forth my highest admiration and when I look at them I admire them. We are so captivated by them that when we talk about them they are elevated to a level of worship in our eyes and minds. We adore them! Likewise when we LOVE someone it means they answer to what I feel is beauty (eye of the beholder). Beauty is something that happens in our heads and that is what we usually understand to be love.

But when it comes to God and the Bible declares: “God is Love” many assume that God is Love in the same way we love. Virtually every religion in existence has a concept of God based on human love. However, if God loves like we love how would that work out? Think with me through some problems with that concept:

He cannot find anyone in His Class so immediately we are eliminated. If he were to get friendly with us he would be fired as being God so we are out in the cold.
He cannot find anyone in harmony with Him (before salvation) so our disharmony disqualifies us. He is love and holiness and we are selfish and have no plans to change (before salvation).
He cannot find any human that would elicit in Him a sense that says about us, ‘That is the best person I know’ for our righteousness are as filthy rags and there is none good (before salvation).

The dilemma for us is that if God loves like we love we are TOAST! It is over! We are without hope and hopeless lost forever! I heard a most appropriate illustration that explains this beautifully:

A missionary went to a witch-doctor and said: “You preach to me. I come to you with a problem. How would you tell me to reach the Most High God? I know you have many gods, but I want to reach the Big One, the Most High God.” The witch-doctor said: “First, you have a big problem, because the Most High God is not interested in you for you are not good enough for him.” That’s where their religion begins! Sadly, we have heard the same thing in much more sophisticated terms in church. We have been told, in so many ways, that we are not good enough for God and He is not interested.

When the Bible says: God is Love it means that He does not reach out to someone in His class but reaches out to Whosoever Will or reaches down to mankind. Human love reaches up but God’s love reaches down. God loves the lost, hopeless, messed up, twisted, distorted, bent, wicked, evil and sinful man and offers LIFE, LOVE and LIBERTY through Jesus! That is the Gospel message. What does God want from us? He wants to dwell in us and with us and manifest Himself through us!

God bless you as you go through this day!

Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” NKJV

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” NKJV

In Proverbs 18:21 we read, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” That has been taken many directions by many in the Body of Christ but I want to focus on the ‘faith-filled words’ that were uttered in this encounter of David and Goliath and hopefully link that to our daily lives in Christ. There is a difference in calling those things that are not as though they were and calling those things that are as though they are not. But lest I get into hair splitting let us move on.

In this account we have the Philistine army on one mountain and the army of Israel on the other with a valley between. Every morning for 40 days the Philistine champion Goliath would come out and taunt Israel, “Send out a man so we can fight. If he wins, we will be your servants but if I win you will be ours.” We know how it was affecting Israel for in verse 11 – “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

FEAR was on the throne in the hearts of Saul and the army of Israel for the imposing intimidating figure of the problem had dismantled FAITH. Now instead of the JOY of the Lord they were filled with GLOOM for they believed they were defeated and saw the problem as an impossible obstacle. Sadly that is how we face too many situations in life and some seem to view the devil. There are reports that Goliath was over 9’ tall with a coat of armor that weighed over 150 pounds and a spear that was about 20 pounds. In the natural that would cause great trepidation of heart. It was not just one occurrence but DAILY for 40 days he had taunted these men of the Most High God.

Saul’s response was that if anyone would volunteer and defeat the enemy that man would gain riches, the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage and his family would be set free. NO TAKERS for what good is a promise of reward if there is no hope of living to claim it. Then we find David coming on the scene and upsetting the status quo. Here this kid comes in and asks, “Why aren’t you men doing something about this?” His brothers were irritated and I’m quite sure so were the others standing around trembling in fear. Quickly word got to Saul that someone was willing to fight and Saul observed, “Why you are not even a man yet!” David reminded Saul of his previous encounters with danger and fear will always allow someone else to take the risk for it. Saul attempted to equip David with his armor but FAITH said no, I’ll go with what brought me thus far. Saul (the system/flesh) said here take what I equip you with and you will be qualified but David (the Spirit) said no God will qualify me.

He picked up five smooth stones from the brook and there are many possibilities as to the significance of ‘five stones’ as some have suggested one for Goliath and each of his brothers and others insist it is representative of the ‘five-fold ministry’. They were ‘smooth stones’ and I suggest that speaks of being fully developed with the rough edges polished off by being in the stream of what God is doing.

Goliath was livid that Israel would insult him sending out a boy to do a man’s job but David declares his faith. You come with a sword and spear but I come in the Name of the Lord and then he charged the giant. David proclaimed God’s promise and declared his commitment and with Goliath’s own sword David removed his head and the problem facing Israel.

In God we have sure promises and we can stand and declare WHAT GOD HAS PROMISED confident that God will honor His word! It just might be time to take God at His word and boldly say to our mountain BE REMOVED.

God bless you as you go through your day!

Roy's Covenant Corner

GOD? What Do You Want From Me? [Part 2]

THE POWER OF YOUR TESTIMONY….

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