II JOHN

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands.  As you heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love."  (II John 1:6 - II John has no "3:16")

The apostle John wrote this short book of the Bible. the second in a series of three letters he wrote to fellow-believers to emphasize truth and love and to warn them about false teachings.  The book of II John is a letter about love.  The love of God.  The Bible is a love story; it is the most intricate, beautiful love story you will ever read.  The more you read and study it, the more details will be revealed to you. It is a love letter from God to you.



Love is what each of us wants and needs. Our world is filled with words about love - greeting cards, popular music,  magazines - they fill us with dreams of love and give us ideas of some sort of perfect romance.  But, this rarely exists.  We long for love.  We yearn to love and be loved,  but see very few examples of real love living in our world today.  Christ is the direct opposite of the world's ways, the opposite of the world's values.  Christ is the opposite of the self-centered world we live in. Believers in Him need to claim His ideals, reflecting love and acting with love toward one another.

In the book of John, the following conversation takes place, revealing just how important love is: "Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'  Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' "   (Matthew 22:34-40

So, the command to walk in love is both old and new.   In the Bible the old foreshadows the new and the new reflects back to the old.  In the above quote, Jesus is referring to the book of Deuteronomy wherein God gave mankind instructions on how to live in love... the Torah and the commandments.

The apostle Paul wrote beautifully of love in his first letter to the Corinthians:

"If I speak in the tongue of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails...When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain:  faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  (I Corinthians 13:1-13)

Love God.  Then, love one another.  This is walking in love.

I JOHN 3:16

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."  (NIV)

Unselfish acts seem to be the opposite of what the world teaches us from birth.  We spend our infant years
literally crying for attention. And we quickly learn that the more we demand, the more attention we receive.  (That attention is not necessarily always good attention;  unfortunately our prisons are proof of the fact that many people never get past the infancy stage...)





As we grow older we are bombarded with advertisements, slogans, songs, and pictures - all advising us to "look out for number one". And, this is the way of the world... But then there is Jesus' way.  Sharing. Caring. Seeing another's needs and not turning away. Truly trying to help those in need.  This is what Jesus taught by example; and, this is what He wants us to do.

Jesus had a brother, James. (James was actually Jesus' half-brother;  they had the same mother - Mary; but, James was the son of Joseph the carpenter, while Jesus was the incarnate Son of God.)  But I digress... James wrote the book of James. James is quite outspoken about many things...controlling one's tongue certainly comes to mind when one thinks about James' writings.  Another of James' discourses, simply put, means that actions speak louder than words.  And, if you claim to be Christian, then you should be trying to be Christ-like.  And, if you are Christ-like, you will not be selfish:
     "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, 'Go,  I wish you well; keep warm and well fed.'  but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  (James 2:14-17  NIV)

The passage following todays's  "3:16"   continues to describe the selfless attitude and actions of a true believer:      "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with action and in truth."                                  (I John3:17, 18)

If you are reading this and think you have nothing to give, you are wrong!  You might give money. Or you might give of your time to a good cause.  Or you might lend an ear to a lonely person.  Many people are out there, crying for attention, spiritual infants in a dead and dying world.

TITUS

 

  "Holding forth the faithful word as he hath been  taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."  Titus 1:9  KJV

The book of Titus has no "3:16".  Titus is one of the three "Pastoral"  letters the Apostle Paul wrote to deal with matters concerning pastors and congregations. (The other two were I and II Timothy.)  These  were the only letters of Paul written to individuals - with pastoral advice about false teaching, sound doctrine, and good works... What to do, and what not to do...

The book of Titus emphasizes sound doctrine, but also challenges believers to do good works.  In other words, there can be no separation between what we believe and doing what is right.  All action is shaped on belief;  if there are no convictions in a person's heart, there will be no fruitfulness in his life. Paul  stresses the need for good works and gives many practical examples of what good works are to the people. And,  although he tells them that it is only by the grace of God that good works are possible (2:11,12), he also teaches that human involvement is necessary in motivating  believers. He states the need for teaching (1:11;2:3,12), preaching (1:3), speaking (2:1,15), reminding (3:1), admonishing (2:4), exhortation (1:9;2:6,15) and rebuke (1:13;2:15). There is a tremendous call to action in the epistle to Titus. This is a book requiring people to "do."

The final chapter of Titus lists ideal characteristics for Believers. Paul urged Titus to avoid such traps as legalism, man-made traditions, and disputes over moot points (foolish controversies.)  There is a balance to be maintained;  it is most-important to always remember that the measuring stick for appropriate behavior is the Word of God.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  Proverbs 4:23

Acts 3:16

     "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through Hi, that has given this complete healing to him, as you can see."   (NIV)

     At the time of this occurrence, Jesus had been crucified, died, and had risen again.  And now the apostles were preaching the gospel and performing miracles in His name through the power of the Holy Spirit.

     Peter and John were on their way to Temple for afternoon prayer when they saw a beggar who had been crippled since birth. The beggar asked them for money; but, Peter replied, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk." (Acts 3:6).  Then Peter held the beggar's right hand and helped him to stand. The mans feet and legs became strong.  He stood... walked...ran!  Jumped for joy!  And praised God.
  

 Since it was customary for everyone to go to Temple for afternoon prayers, there was a large crowd of people who witnessed this miracle of healing. Peter spoke to the crowd, giving all the praise and glory to God. He seized the opportunity to explain that Jesus was the Messiah foretold by the prophets, that He had been unrecognized by many of His own people, had been crucified and resurrected.  Now that He had risen and visited upon the apostles, Peter and the other apostles were able to heal in His name and power!
     There are a few things we can learn from this incident which occurred a couple thousand years ago:



#1: The Torah had not been abolished after Christ's death and resurrection.  The apostles and the rest of the crowd were going to Temple for afternoon prayer, as always. These people were still going to Temple, eating "Kosher", and following the Torah.
#2: Peter could have ignored the beggar when he asked for money.  It would have been easy to simply walk on by, especially since Peter didn't have any money... Nothing to offer... No sense in getting involved... Not so when the Holy Spirit is walking with you!


#3: The beggar asked for money - that's what he WANTED.  God gave him a miraculous healing - THAT was what he NEEDED. Sometimes we need to recognize the difference between what we want and what we truly need.  Ask God for wisdom and discernment. And, don't put God in a people-sized box!  He can do so much more than give us a coin with which to buy a crust of bread!
#4: Both Peter and the beggar gave praise to God for the healing.  How easy it would have been to accept even a small part of the credit!  But Peter knew and acknowledged that all the honor and glory belonged to the Lord.

Do you give the Lord your thanks and praise every day?  Do you praise Him when things are going well?  How 'bout when things are just so-so?  Aren't you still protected and out of harms way?  Praise God from Whom  ALL blessings flow!

JOSHUA 3:16

     "That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan; and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho."  (KJV)



     DANGER: KEEP OUT: FLOODING!   If this event happened nowadays, surely some government agency would post a danger sign.  It was Springtime, and, as we read in the prior verse, " the Jordan overflows all his banks through all the time until harvest."   So, every year, from Spring through Autumn, the Jordan River was at flood stage.  Despite this, God gave specific instructions on what to do at the river;  he also gave His promise that He would be there... just as He had been with Moses...

the Jordan River

     Just as crossing the Red Sea with Moses to escape from Egypt was a milestone in the Israelite's history, so was the crossing of the Jordan River with Joshua to enter the promised land.  There are many similarities between the two events.  Both were God-directed.  And, both were God-delivered journeys.
     God gave specific instructions that the priests carrying the ark of the covenant go first and stand in the water. The preists, Joshua, and the people obeyed.  ( Oh, boy, there's that obedience thing again! Are you beginning to notice a trend here?)  The waters parted when the priests' feet hit the water. It actually piled up in "heaps".  (Gives new meaning to the term, "standing water", doesn't it?) The priests then took the ark to the center of the DRY riverbed, and all the Israelites followed, successfully crossing the Jordan River. 
     Now, we're not talking about a couple dozen people here... The army was forty thousand men, fully dressed for battle.  Add to that women and children,  the priests and Levites, and any foreigners who had elected to join the Israelites.... a very low estimate of the people crossing the river would be 100,000.  This was no small pathway!  No small miracle!
     Once all the people had crossed the riverbed, the priests with the ark came out.  Then the water returned and ran at flood stage as it had before the crossing.  Only God could make that journey possible.  All He asked for was faith and obedience.
     The Israelites had been trapped in terrible slavery and oppression in Egypt.  Although their situation was of their own doing, God, with His amazing love and mercy, provided them a way of escape.  Are you experiencing an "Egypt" of your own today?   People are slaves to schedules, the media, substances, possessions, emotions... Do you recognize the slavery in your life?  God can make your journey out of "Egypt" possible.  He will tell you how.  Be willing to listen.  And obey.
     And, if needed,  be prepared to get your feet wet.



priests carrying the ark, as the water parts...