EXCERPTS

EXCERPTS

“WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH  IT?”
| AUGUST 15

“Wives,submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the
wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which He is the Savior.
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to
their husbands in everything. Husbands, LOVE YOUR WIVES, just as Christ
loved the church and gave Himself up to her.” Ephesians 5: 22-25

Much earlier in this book, we spoke of the possible need for a so-called “newer testament”. Suffice it to say that this is one of those passages that begs that question. The preceding passage, arguably suggests sexism. Some claim that organized religions are sexist. Moslem women must cover their faces. Catholic women are ineligible for the priesthood. Orthodox Judaism is, some have argued, a men-only club.  How can we subscribe to the notion of the Bible’s being Divinely-inspired without accepting female subjugation, slavery, bigamy and the like? It all gets back to the perception we have of God as the Author of Love.

Today’s verse DOES speak of subjugation of women, but it all but orders the men to LOVE their wives. Moreover, love is defined rather explicitly: it is the kind of love that Christ had for the church and His people. A love that has God as its foundation is one in which each of the parties subjugates her or his own needs for the sake of the other. Certainly, Christ demonstrated this by sacrificing His very life for us.  Nevertheless, there’s no denying the first part of the verse. The fact is that there are Biblical passages that reflect the character of the day. What is, however, consistent through the centuries is the notion of Godly love. Man, not God, has demeaned women over the years. God urges us to love our spouses, just as He has loved us. It is a love in which both spouses play leading roles as well as supporting roles. God is love. His whole essence is about love. “What’s love got to do with it?” Everything.

FORGIVE | NOVEMBER 30

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6: 14 & 15

“The Hiding Place,” by Corrie Ten Boom is an autobiographical account of a life that included imprisonment at Ravensbruck concentration camp with her sister Betsie. Just days before her ownrelease from camp, her sister Betsie perished. They were sent there by the Nazis for harboring Jews in their home during the Holocaust.  In memory of her sister’s selfless love and forgiveness, Corrie founded a postwar home for other camp survivors who were recovering from the horrors of life in these camps. Corrie traveled throughout Europe as a missionary, preaching God’s love and forgiveness and the need to extend the hand of reconciliation to one’s tormenters.

It’s never easy to recount the horrors of your past life and to relive them each day,
especially when you’ve lost loved ones and you’re still alive.  One chapter in her book is entitled: “I’m Still Learning to Forgive.” One day, she was in Munich, spreading God’s love and the need to forgive, when she experienced a true example of practicing what one preaches. She noticed a balding, heavy-set man, who was clearly approaching her. As he neared, she had a sudden flashback of this man, a guard
in the camp, confronting her frail sister Betsie. Suddenly, the man began speaking to her: “You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk. I was a guard in there.” He claimed
not to remember her. “Since that time,” he went on, “ I have become a
Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there,
but I would like to hear it from your lips as well, Fraulein,…” he extended
his hand and said: “will you forgive me?” Corrie stood there numbed and immobile.
She could not. Her thoughts began to wander about her sister Betsie. She
wondered: could he erase her slow terrible death simply by asking. Although he
was there for only seconds Corrie was still deliberating for what seemed hours.
She knew she had to do it. She was reminded of the text “if you do not
forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus said: “neither will your Father in heaven
forgive your trespasses.” She knew her heart felt cold, but forgiveness was not
an emotion. She knew it was an act of the will, and the will can function,
regardless of the temperature of the heart. She prayed “Jesus, help me!” “I can
lift my hand. I can do that much.  You supply the feeling.”

“And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.”  “I forgive you, brother!” I cried, “With all my heart!” For a long moment they grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. She had never known God’s love as intensely as
she did then.

Alexander Pope once wrote, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Are you struggling with a deep seated hurt that cannot be forgiven? Is your tormentor someone you know or a total stranger? Friend, God is extending His hand of reconciliation to you today. Grasp it, and you too will be forgiven. Do not wait to feel your need, but accept His
invitation of forgiveness now. When you do you too will feel an intense love from
God that you’ve never known. You will feel the divine love of God’s forgiveness.

JESUS CHRIST | DECEMBER 31

“He which testifies these things says, ‘Surely I come quickly.” Amen.  Even
so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you all. Amen.” Revelation 22: 20 & 21 (KJV)

We’ve come to the last day of the year and the end of this year’s devotional. It is difficult to say good-bye. A New Year approaches. The cycle begins anew. What has your past year been like? Are you ready for another dose of resolutions? Will your new list be better than last year’s? Were you able to adhere to last year’s list?  Can you say you know God a little better than a year ago?  As I have explained, this devotional was a response to my late mother’s desire to portray God in a clearer light than that
to which we have been accustomed.

This devotional book has been in the making for over ten years. During these years, I have seen the best of times and the worst of times in my life.  It’s been a bitter-sweet time for me. The sweet time was having finished this book.  The worst time, without question, was my mother’s passing on April 21, 2007.  She never saw the finished product. I genuinely wish you could have known her. It would be folly to attempt to
capture her essence in a single day’s devotional. But as I talk about her, it is
compelling clear to me that she was Jesus Christ. I know…you are thinking that
either I have a very big head or I am committing blasphemy. Allow me, please, to
explain.  There was no one I ever respected more or honored and revere than her. She embodied the Spirit of God. I did not know this growing up because I took her for granted. After all, she was my mother. However, as I reflect back on the years she was with me, I can now comprehend how God loves me. She was NOT a God, she was, however, the personification of Godliness. She was a humble and benevolent woman, after God’s own heart.

You may think I am giving praise and glory that are due only to
God. My mother was Jesus Christ on earth. She lived the Godly life of Christ.
Granted she was not perfect, but her godly love was. Where love abounds there
is God. Reflecting back on her life, I wish I had spent more time with her.
I miss Jesus. Yes, there is no doubt many others like her, and you would do well
to get to know them because that is how you will grow closer to your
Maker. They are the Jesus Christ we encounter daily who bless us. I’m continually
being blessed. May the grace of our Lord be with you all.   Amen.

I have experienced Jesus Christ through the
following people in my life:  Juan Acedo, Sonya Acera, Bryan, Mark &
Laurie Anderson, Kathryn, Tracy, Lahnie, Shaun, Jay, Gabrielle, Edward
Jr., Walter Jr., Marlow, Troy Anderson, Leslie & Bubut Anderson, Grace
& David, Jane, May, Vivian & Esmer Montoya, Linda & Jim, Dean,
Jemma, Nimrod & Fina, Nelson, Edwin, Myrna & Oscar Obligacion, Susan
& Nat Fajardo, Bob & Barbara Anderson, Ising & Charles Anderson,
Virginia & Oming Quizon, Anne Arrevalo, Jun & Cookie Atiga, Shubert
Atiga, Fred Balictar, Mrs. Balictar, Prom & Norma Amoguis, John W. Bennett,
Don Bitz, Bruce Boyd, Silvino & Melissa Briceno, Sherrie Burke, Fred
Casey, Tom Chatt, Johnathan & Cecil Coo, Michelle & Michael Camerlingo,
Regner & Lourdes Cunanan, Guillermo & Esther Chaidez, Romeo,
Puring, Clifford, Cedric & Crystal, Karl & Karla Cunanan, John DiPiziano,DDS; Nick Donnath, Paul Dudley, Kevin & Valerie Enright, Ron Ewell, Harold & Eleanor Fanselau,
Migulito & Lucy Fernando, Reglio Fernandez, George Ferrer, Larry Fish, Cheryl
& Ray Flauta, Bill Chunestudy, Rosina Cunanan-Frazier, Barton von Gal, Mike
& Jennifer Gifford, Nito & Patricia Gil, Heidi Gil-Gonsier, Heather Gil,
Kathleen Geraty, Frank Gandy, Merwyn & Daisy Goltiao, Mark Gold, Don
& Anna Greathouse, Paul Hagel, Steve Harding, Ed & Linda Henry, Scott
Hoage, Gary & Suha Huffaker, Henry Huizar, Intissar Issa, Diana Jamison, Rollie, Jenna & R.J., Jacinto, Pastor Jerry & Loida Jereos, Ruben & Naomi Jabola, Terry
Jones, Lorraine Jabola, Meredith & Carol Jobe, DeAnn Knipschild, Pamela Koester,
Carolyn Kay, Susan Klysa, Steve & Sandy Landon, Dick Larson, Laszlo
& Carlyle, Julie & Enoch Lazo, Allen Leno, Dante & Luke LaMadrid,Jeff Miller,
Mike & Tessa Manke, Kathy & Nicole Mathis, Dana Marko, Keith & Suzy Miller,
Jim & Kathleen Manning, J’leen Sager, Bucky, Felipe, Jeannie, Dalton
& Kathleen Maurin, Joakim & Marylou Mendez, Chet Maggie, Beth McCalla,
Jeff Maroni, Lisa & Owen MacIntosh,Johnny Murhammer, Frank &
Nanerl Meza, Debbie & Rick Nuffert, Jody Nyall, Jeremy Ogden, Douglas
Ota, Onie & Ching Pascual, Bob Pellemonter, Danny Perry,Esq., Lanny
& John Perry, Mariano & JoyPenada, Rob Peterson, Florence Ramsey, Debbie
Ramirez, Jason & Robin Romano, Johnathan & Bernadette Romano,
David E. Roseberry, Richard Ramber, George Reming, Scott Sachar, Melvin,
Tessie & Michael Sajid, Vic & Mercyln Seralde, Naomi Santomin Dennis
Sapphire, George Scheideman, Thomas Sim, Coral & Vernon Sheffield,
Charlie & Jill Start, Kevin & Marni Straine, Donna Sutton, David Shelton, Dale
Steiss, Tim Summer, Priscilla Tangunan, Ellenis Todhjojo, Josh Turburon,
Fernando & Darlene Vargas, Mark & Leslie Von Esch, Karla Wells, Paul
Wilcox, Ken Wilson, Jill & Tyrone, Deandra & Juliette Wong, Ronald
& Georgiana Wu, Marty Zelbow.

Forgive me if I am remiss of your name. Be ever vigilant and cognizant that Jesus Christ reveals Himself daily in our lives.

Important Question Every Christian Should Ask Themselves

Tags

Author of Love, Bible, controversial, devotional, God, personal, questions

A FEW QUESTIONS IF YOU WILL

[The Author of Love], not surprisingly, will deal with a good many issues that have to do with faith. Sadly, more and more of us seem to be giving up on faith and giving up on God. When asked why they have strayed, the most typical response is something to the effect that the faith of their fathers leaves too many important questions unanswered. We are a people who demand answers to the questions that most concern us, and, when the answers are not forthcoming, we tend to move on to something else. Some maintain that this is why church attendance (with some notable exceptions) is diminishing in our country.

Throughout this text, we will raise a good many questions. A number of them are somewhat controversial. Throughout, it is NOT our intention to render judgment with respect to controversial matters. Rather, it is our hope that, in framing the questions and, objectively as possible, presenting both sides, we provide the reader with the foundation for further consideration of the issue.

Understand, please, that it is NOT ever our intention in this book to offer controversy for its own sake. If that’s what you seek, I commend you to the magazine rack at your supermarket check stand. A number of people whose advice I most trust have urged me to avoid such topics. Keep the discussion on the highest plain possible, they have counseled me. I certainly respect input of this type. It is anything but my intent to make the reader feel conflicted about his or her beliefs. I feel ever so strongly, however, that treating the most difficult issues serves to sustain our faith, not undermine it. You will see throughout the text that there are very plausible responses to every one of these questions. If you are to sustain your own beliefs, you would be ill-advised to pretend that these questions have not crossed your mind. Moreover, as you encounter others whose inability to deal with these issues has compromised their own belief system, you will be able to assist them in dealing with these important matters. That, by the way, is an integral part of what this book is all about.

Our God has evidenced a love for us that we can only marginally approach in our lives. We become more Godlike when we share our own love, our own caring, our own support for those whom we encounter every day during our earthly journey. We have a duty, call it, to spread God’s love, and one way to do that is to help others understand the Author of Love.

The following are a number of the questions that are raised in the [book]. I must underscore that this book is, first and foremost, a daily devotional. It is NEVER its intention to stir up controversy for its own sake. However, it NEVER ducks an important issue. Here then are a number of the issues that will be treated in the text that follows:

Some say that the Bible is out-of-step with the times. Do we need a newer New Testament?

• Does the Bible condone slavery?
• Does the Bible condone the subjugation of women?
• Is homosexuality a sin?
• How do we define inter-marriage?  Does our faith permit it?
• Do we really believe that sins such as adultery are worthy of capital punishment?
• Are so-called “acts of God” truly acts of God?
• Why is it that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people?
• Do the Ten Commandments depict an insecure God?
• What happens to righteous people of other faiths?  Just because they were born in non-Christian lands, will they be excluded from God’s Kingdom?
• Where was God during the Holocaust? During 9/11?
• How should we respond to those who claim God is dead?
• Is God a jealous God?
• We don’t seem to witness as many miracles as during ancient times. Has God tired of doing miracles?
• Why have so many of the most conspicuous religious figures (a good number of the televangelists, for example) fallen?
• God created the heavens and the universe. Why doesn’t the Bible speak more about other planets, solar systems, and galaxies? 
• Is science antithetical to faith?
• If God knows the beginning and the end of everything as well as all that is in between, is He nothing more than a very talented puppeteer?  Do we truly have free will/choice?
• The Bible is replete with examples of what would appear to be God’s seeking revenge yet we are told that He is not vengeful and that, further, more, He is the Author of love. Is this contradictory?
• Some regard the Bible as historically accurate in its entirety. Which reporters were covering the Garden of Eden on that fateful day that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit?
• Why does it seem that organized religion breeds so much intolerance, particularly in view of the fact that “the Guy in charge” is referred to, at least in this book, as the Author of Love?
• Is there a Hell?  Will those who are not saved be burned in the “lake of fire” for all eternity?
• Who can be saved?  How can one be saved?
• Why is it that much (perhaps most) of history is a series of accounts of wars that originated as a result of religious differences?  (Some refer to it as the “My god is better than your god” syndrome.)
• Should we only “hit God up” for important “stuff”?  Should we spare Him our less urgent issues?
• Why is it that so many prayers seem to go unanswered?
• Is there anything that is too difficult for God?
• Jesus tells us that He is coming soon. To some, it seems that “soon” is taking a very long time. How soon is soon?
• Supposedly, the end time will come when all acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Is it realistic to believe that this will ever occur?
• What, if anything, is the difference between faith and religion?
• Faith, hope, love — is one more important than another?
• Jesus says we are to forgive seventy times seven.  Are there any heinous acts that are unforgiveable?
• Is there really a God?
• God said to love my neighbor. Who is my neighbor?

What are your thoughts on these important questions?

Why the Author of Love?

Tags

Author of Love, Book, devotional, excerpt, foreward, God, love

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3: 17

Why did I write this book?  My new book has been something I’ve wanted to do for sometime now.  To further explain, it was important for me to share the Foreward of my new book, The Author of Love: Understanding a Misunderstood God, to help explain what the book is about and why I wrote it.  Enjoy.

 – – – [Excerpt ] – – –

FOREWARD

Just what the world needs….yet another devotional book. Ah, but this one is different. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. But, before I get into a discussion as what sets this devotional from so many others, allow please a moment’s digression. (They’ll be more than a few digressions call them, once we get going. Hopefully, they’ll add interest.)

Perhaps ten or so years ago (Mother left us in 2007), my mother had just finished reading a devotional when she asked me to explain to her what she’d just read. What she was having difficulty grasping was the author’s notion of vengeful God. Back in the “Ozzie and Harriet/Father Knows Best:” days, when a kid stepped out of line, the most oft-repeated phrase he was apt to hear was: “God will punish you for that.” It’s a little wonder that many of us grew up with the perception that God is, if nothing else, sheriff, posse and lord (with a small “l”, of course) high executioner.

I explained to Mother that what the author was saying was that even a loving God has boundaries and limits. The author contended that there would ultimately come a day when God would lose patience with humankind, much as had occurred in the days of Noah, just prior to the flood. Mother pondered my response for a brief moment and replied: “Hindi ganyan ang Dios,” which is Filipino (Tagalog) for: “God is not that way.” Without taking a breath, she added: “I wish someone would write a book which reflects the true essence of God.” “The true nature of God,” she insisted, “is one of love, NOT of vindictiveness.”

And so I began to ponder the commonly-held notion of a judgmental God versus what I and a good many others are convinced is a more appropriate depiction, and that is of a God who is at once demanding and caring – whose demands are a reflection of His concern for those He created in His own image and whose caring is emblematic of His love for those same beings.

This devotional, therefore, is the result of Mother’s determination that the truth be told as well as my own conviction that it is about time that someone present a more accurate depiction of God.

How well do we really know God? Some of these very questions are raised in the Book of Job. “After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job 42:7. Can you imagine a loving God being angry because His character was maligned? I think we all have had similar experiences: people misrepresenting our character. (More on this subject matter in the devotional).

Have the authors in the Old Testament spoken wrongly about God’s character. In the book of Genesis, the God of creation is portrayed as all powerful and majestic. The God of Exodus comes across as favoring the Israelites over the Egyptians. The story of Exodus further illustrates an egocentric God who seeks vengeance upon those who reject Him. In the book of Song of Solomon, we read about a jealous, and, some have contended, crazed God, who some have likened to an immature teenager. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” Song of Solomon 8: 6 & 7.

In the New Testament the first five authors shares with us a Savior who is called Immanuel (God with us). This God is named Jesus. We are introduced to Him in the innocence of His infancy. He matures into what those of His time might have regarded as a rather ordinary man. His style and method, however, puzzle His generation. He goes against the grain of conventional love. He rebukes hypocrisy and pharisaic love. He tells a perfect law abider to sell all his earthly possessions and follow Him.

On the surface, certainly, this would appear to be a rather strange way in which to display love and affection. The author of Romans 8: 38 says that God’s love convinces him “…that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How can such differing depictions of God’s character serve to help us understand God’s true nature?

Then comes the God in the book of Revelation who promises judgment and death to the unbelieving. Those condemned to damnation will be thrown in the “lake of fire” with the devil and his followers. It’s a dire predicament for those who don’t make the grade in God’s kingdom. The notion of a God of this kind is, to say the least, unnerving.

In the movie “Sophie’s Choice,” a Nazi commandant takes Sophie’s only two children, a boy and a girl, to a concentration camp. Sophie pleads with the officer to spare her kids. In a most sinister moment, he offers what is only nominally a compromise, and that is to allow Sophie to choose one child to keep with her. Sophie cannot decide and once more begs the officer to spare her children. He becomes intolerant and decides not to give her a choice. All of a sudden, she acquiesces and chooses the boy while her daughter screams in agony as she is taken away from her. The little girl begs her mother to choose her but to no avail. With this decision, an implicit verdict is rendered; for Sophie must live with the guilt and conviction of her choice for the rest of her life. In real life, someone asked Meryl Streep, who played Sophie in the movie, what she thought of God and the salvation of humankind. She said I hope everyone makes it to heaven.

Can you picture a God treating us like that? To not choose God would be condemnation. Is that a true picture of the God we know? I hope not. That is not the God I know. Granted, there are scriptures in abundance that say God condemns sin but forgives the sinner. There are Bible verses that say it is an abomination in God’s eyes for anyone to work on the Sabbath, to commit adultery, to lie, cheat, use profanity, to be gay. These (and other) acts are indeed punishable by death.

Well-intentioned Christians use these verses to condemn those who commit such acts. The fact is that the Bible was written by man, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible interpretations of these verses vary depending upon the particular pundit’s personal beliefs, the political context within which he (seldom she) writes, and the prevailing attitudes of the time.

So, what are we to believe? How do we navigate our way through the religious doctrine of eras gone by? The answer is not as complex as it might appear.

He came and dwelt among us. The first five books of the New Testament portray the closest picture of the God of the entire Bible. There are skeptics who believe in separation of God according to our faults. God has not changed nor does He wink at certain faults. God is steadfast, faithful and sure. You can rely on His word and that He will fulfill His promise.

The God I have come to know is a very inclusive God. Regardless of who you are–your ethnic background, your gender or other identifying characteristics, God loves you, just as you are. Perhaps the single verse that best characterizes God is found in I Corinthians 13: 1-13 “If I speak in the tongues 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 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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child, I talked 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. The greatest of these is love.” This is only a “tip of the iceberg” of God’s love.

Every verse pertaining to love points out what we lack. Remember the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to enter His kingdom. God told him to keep the commandments. The man said he kept them all. Then God said sell all of what you have and give it to the poor and follow me. The rich young ruler went away sad. (See Matthew 19: 16-22). The standard was set too high for him.

The fact is that we are not a faultless people, and there are likely none of us who can live up to this definition of love. Many have tried, and even the rich young man managed to keep all of the commandments. Anyone who can keep even one of the commandments should be commended. But was his keeping of the commandments strictly a clanging cymbal? On our own, we all fall a bit short with respect to the commandment of love. No human measures up to the commandment of love, but we have a Savior who can and did. He is the Author of Love. He showed His love for us. He did great and mighty works and miracles. He gave all that He had. He can be trusted. He is never rude or self-seeking. Jesus not only talked and walked love, but He lived it.

God cannot govern His universe in any other way but through love. Love is the foundation of who He is. He was not nor will ever be a clanging cymbal. Whenever you read a verse that condemns a Sabbath breaker or an addict or a liar or an adulterer or a sinner or a homosexual to death then you have come across a clanging cymbal god. The list of what man condemns in the Bible is endless. Remember that is what man deems an abomination to God. God never condemned a sinner. God came to redeem those very people. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3: 17

Clanging cymbals come in all forms. They come disguised in the name of love. They are very convincing. Some are eloquent in their rationalization. Others are so extreme that they even sacrifice their lives for you in the name of love. There are givers and philanthropists who give to the poor and are praised by receivers for their largess. There are educators, doctors, lawyers, nurses, homemakers, and people from all walks of life who are noble with good intentions who sacrifice for the good of society.  Clanging cymbals can be hazardous to your health. They control your thought process and behavior. We subconsciously live on clanging cymbals. People become staid and narrow-minded when they disguise their love in the name of clanging cymbals.

The Bible is full of stories about clanging cymbals. Some, like the story of the woman at the well, which Jesus purposely encountered, saw her true love staring right at her, (a feat she had unsuccessfully tried six times).  She was receptive to Jesus’ love.  Yet, there are others like the rich young ruler who went away sad because his wealth (clanging cymbal) was more of value than the Savior who came to him. What is absolutely intriguing about all this is how Jesus treated everyone He came in contact with! Whether it was a sinner, prostitute, enemy or hypocrite, He treated each one with dignity and respect. He was foremost compassionate, merciful and forgiving. He never condemned or reprimanded us in a judgmental tone of superiority. He showed us kindness and patience with never a thought of malice or disgust. No one was exempted from His love.  There was no hint of judgment, condemnation or disdain. He treated each one in love. Jesus set the example of how to love one another. He showed us how the Father deals with each of us. Does God distinguish between the so-called clanging cymbals and those whose love and compassion are genuine? No doubt, but God’s love for us is the ultimate love. His love is without bounds and is non-judgmental. Real love comes with no strings attached, and the only real love is Godly love. You will fully comprehend this when you come to know and understand the Author of Love.

God’s love is immeasurable and breaks through barriers that are clanging cymbals. He loves the otherwise unlovable, those whom society scorns and oftentimes reviles. The worst of the worst in this world, He loves. Luke 6: 35 & 36 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Can you be merciful to “those people?” Would you give up your life for them? I know this a hard thing to even say let alone do. God thought it was worth it. He gave His only Son to redeem them.

Do you see it yet? If you’re still unconvinced then go by the character of God. Remember to start at the foundation of God’s character—love–and build on that. Then examine every verse, even those that speak of abomination and condemnation. If there is no love as defined in I Corinthians 13 then you can call it a clanging cymbal. God has revealed His love to us in countless ways. Where love abounds, there is God. But one of the greatest revelations of His love for us was when He came as a babe garbed in human flesh to dwell with us. We saw, touched and supped with God during His earthly mission. Now He says He’s even closer to us, through His Spirit dwelling in us.  God wants to restore the oneness that was lost in Eden.  He invites you and me to be one with His Father and The Holy Spirit.  That is love that is fathomless.  He has extended and demonstrated His love especially to you and me.  However, God’s love can only be made complete when it is reciprocated.  Just as you experienced earthly love, you cannot enjoyed it’s fullness until that love is returned in kind.  To know God and to experience His love for you is to be open and receptive to His Spirit.  When you really get to KNOW God, everything else in this life, or in the life to come, pales in comparison to the love of God.

Remember, when you have faith, hope and love, “But the greatest of these is…God (love).”