Permeating All We Do Is LOVE

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The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – LOVE #6

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

Love Is the Greatest

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NLT says, “1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love.”

In Verse 1 describes the words – Great faith, acts of dedication or sacrifice, miracle-working power, or the ability to speak in any language in heaven or on earth will produce very little without love. Without love, speaking in a heavenly language, although a gift of the Holy Spirit, becomes nothing more than meaningless noise. The gift of tongues, used without love, is as valueless as pagan worship. Without love, the gifts do not build up other believers, so they are useless. Christians must not exalt gifts over character. Love is far more important. The word for “love” used here is agape. The Greeks had different words that described different kinds of love. The word agape connotes a deep, abiding, self-sacrificing love, unconditional love of God – the kind that looks out for the other person first.

In Verse 2 describes the words – The gift of prophecy was described as a gift that might enable the person to see events in the future but mainly to bring God’s message to the church under the direction of the Holy Spirit (see also 1 Corinthians 14:1-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20). Some people have been given a special measure of this gift with the ability to know everything. Such understanding and even the ability to share it with others, however, are worth nothing without love.
The gift of faith was described in 1 Corinthians 12:9. This does not refer to saving faith, whereby people come to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ as Savior; instead, this is an unusual measure of trust in the Holy Spirit’s power to do mighty works, much like Elijah received in 1 Kings 18. If a person has faith that could move mountains but does not have love, the faith is no good to anybody.

In Verse 3 describes the words – True love produces willingness to give sacrificially and to suffer. Acts of charity and self-sacrifice can be done for the sake of an ideal or with pride as a motivation. But they are of no value for the Kingdom, wrote Paul, unless they are done from the foundation of love for others.

In Verse 4 describes and reasons – Because love is so important among the Born-Again Christian believers, let me describe that love in more detail. How does such love look when lived out in the lives of believers?

First of all, love is patient, the opposite of being short-tempered. Patience (sometimes translated “long-suffering” or “slow to anger”) is an attribute of God (see Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Romans 2:4; 1 Peter 3:20). In many places, God’s people are called upon to be patient (see, for example, Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:14). Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Such love bears with certain annoyances or inconveniences without complaint. It does not lose its temper when provoked. It steadily perseveres.

Love is also kind. Kindness takes the initiative in responding generously to others’ needs. The psalms and writings of the prophets say much about God’s kindness (Psalm 18:50; Isaiah 54:8; Jeremiah 9:24). Because Born-Again Christian believers have received kindness, they ought to act with kindness toward others. Such love is considerate and helpful to others. Kind love is gentle and mild, always ready to show compassion, especially to those in need.

Love is not jealous. The jealous person desires what another person has. This seems to have been a particular problem in Corinth – those with “lesser” gifts envied those with “greater” gifts. The seed of envy can lead to seething anger and hatred. Those who are too busy envying each other’s gifts are unlikely to be using their own gifts in loving service to God and others. When there is love, Born-Again Christian believers will gladly use whatever gifts they have been given to work together for the advance of God’s Kingdom. They will be glad that others have different gifts so that the entire job can get done.

Love is not boastful or proud. While some believers may have a problem with envy, those with the “greater” gifts might have a problem with boasting or pride. Again, it seems that this may have been a problem in Corinth. While some pride can be positive, this kind of pride takes credit for an undeserved gift. Gifted believers who are caught up in pride and boasting over their gifts are unable to serve. Without love, they may feel that by using their gifts, they are doing someone a favor, that others should be grateful to them, and that they are far superior.

In Verse 5 describes the words – Love is not rude. This refers to actions that are improper, impolite, discourteous, or crude. Born-Again Christian believers who use their gifts with love will be careful to act in a manner worthy of their calling (purpose, people, & passion) before God. They will never humiliate others. This may also have been a problem in Corinth, especially in their worship services (see 1 Corinthians 11:2-16).

Love does not demand its own way. Love looks out for others, seeks their best interests, willingly gives up its own for the sake of another. A person who wants his/her own way may use his/her gifts but not with a serving attitude or a desire to build the Kingdom. Instead, the gifts are only used if they can somehow benefit the self-seeking person. This is not God’s way. Instead, because of love, the believers use their gifts to benefit others first, without “self” or selfish desires getting in the way.

Love is not irritable, meaning easily angered or touchy. Such people let things get on their nerves. One believer, in the process of exercising his or her gifts, may irritate another believer. These “easily angered” believers may not like the style or manner in which these others exercise their gifts. This is not the way of love. When believers exercise their gifts in love, they will be able to give one another some latitude to follow God as they see fit. They will not let themselves be easily provoked over disagreements, but they will be able to always respond in a loving manner.

Love keeps no record of when it has been wronged. Such people will remember every offense against them as though it were written in a book and tallied. These “wrongs” are not sins that need to be dealt with in the congregation (such as that described in 1 Corinthians chapter 5) but minor offenses or misunderstandings between believers. Those who keep record of these wrongs and personal injuries will harbor resentment against other believers. Love, however, makes allowances for people’s foibles or failing of character and flaws and willingly forgets when wrongs were done. This frees us all as Born-Again Christian believers to grow and mature in our Lord Jesus Christ and to grow in our ability to serve and use our gifts. When mistakes are made, love overlooks them and allows us to continue to serve with the gifts God has given us. God does not keep a record of Born-Again Christian believers’ wrongs (2 Corinthians 5:19).

In Verse 6 describes the words – Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. When we as Born-Again Christian believers show love, we do not show superior morality by taking pleasure in another’s fall. Love does not take pleasure in any kind of injustice. Instead, love does the exact opposite. Through our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, we possess the one and only truth (John 14:6). Those who love should remain untainted by evil. Instead, we ought to always seek truth, desire that truth wins out, protect the truth, and proclaim the truth whenever possible.

In Verse 7 describes and explains the words – After explaining what love does not do (1 Corinthians 13:4-6), Paul listed four positive attributes of love. Love never gives up, but willingly protects others. The word in Greek means “cover” or “hide by covering.” This does not refer to hiding hurtful sin but to protecting someone from embarrassment, gossip, or any other such harm. When believers love one another, they refuse harmful gossip and protect one another from those who would try to inflict harm.

Love never loses faith. It is willing to think the best of others. It does not mean that believers must be gullible, trusting everyone; instead, it means that they are willing to think the best as opposed to the worst of others. Love gives the benefit of the doubt. With real love, believers can deal with conflict lovingly. When everyone willingly thinks the best of everyone else, people are freed to be honest and open.

Love is always hopeful. Born-Again Christian believers who love look forward, not backward. They seek for growth and maturity in the church/fellowship, knowing that God is working in every person.

Love endures through every circumstance. We as Born-Again Christian believers who love are active and steadfast in our faith. We hold on, no matter what difficulties we face. Hardship and pain do not stop love. When we persevere, we face suffering within the body. We face persecution. We hang on when the going gets tough. We strive to save our marriages despite disappointment, to continue to trust God despite setbacks, and to continue to serve God despite fear or sorrow. When we truly persevere, nothing can stop us, in Jesus name. Amen!

In Verses 8-10, they describe that all the spiritual gifts will eventually disappear, but love will last forever. On this earth, outside of heaven, everything is imperfect. No matter how much people may know, they know only a little. No matter how much prophecy is given, it still reveals little. Not until the arrival of God’s Kingdom (the end) will everything be made perfect and complete. At that time, all the special gifts of the Holy Spirit will disappear. Because gifts are given for the building up of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will no longer be needed. The body will be completed, and God’s Kingdom will have arrived. Yet love will continue (1 Corinthians 13:8), because love is the very essence of God Himself. “God is love,” wrote John (1 John 4:8, 16). God’s love caused Him to reach out to undeserving humanity and send a Savior. His love saved people and will bring them into His Kingdom to be with Him forever. The Kingdom rests on God’s love.

In Verse 11 describes – The contrast between believers’ spiritual understanding now, when they know only a little, and their lives in the future Kingdom, when everything will be made clear, is illustrated in human terms. A child talks, thinks, and reasons like a child. His or her understanding is incomplete. But when a child grows up, he or she matures in speech, thought, and reason, putting away childish things. So now we as Born-Again Christian believers know only a little, like children, but one day we will be able to put our present understanding behind us because we will understand clearly.

In Verse 12 describes – By way of further metaphor, believers’ present spiritual understanding is like a reflection in a poor mirror. They see very poorly now; what they know is partial and incomplete. While Born-Again Christian believers’ knowledge is still growing and maturing, God already knows each person completely. Instead of boasting about our spiritual gifts, we as Born-Again Christian believers should realize that these gifts were nothing compared to what we would experience in heaven.

In the final Verse of 13, it describes that love is a spiritual reality of a different kind, like hope and faith, and not to be considered as one of the spiritual gifts. In eternity, the gifts will drop away in significance, but faith, hope, and love will endure.

Faith sometimes refers to a spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:9; 13:2) or to saving faith that God has forgiven sins. In this context, it refers to trust in the goodness and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such trust will see us as Born-Again Christian believers through until we live face-to-face in God’s presence. Born-Again Christian believers also hope; we look forward to the arrival of God’s promised Kingdom in its fullest form, knowing that God will deliver us in times of suffering.

Faith, hope and love will last forever but the greatest of these is love. How is love “the greatest”? The passage already had established that love would abide forever (1 Corinthians 13:8). Love is the greatest because it is one quality of the Christian life that will be fully active both in the present and for eternity. Born-Again Christian believers’ faith in God will be realized when they see God face-to-face – for where there is sight, faith is no longer needed. Similarly, the Born-Again Christian believers’ hope will be fully realized. Love will endure forever as those in the new heaven and new earth continue to love God and His people. Amen! Hallelujah!

Holiness In Our Personal Conduct

In Leviticus 19:32-34 NLT says, “32 “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord. 33 “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. 34 Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

In Verses 32-34, they describes this small section has to do with showing respect for the aged and for the non-Israelites who lived in the land. if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him – The Israelites were to hold out encouragement to strangers to settle among them, that they might be brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God; with this in view, they were enjoined to treat them not as aliens, but as friends, on the ground that they themselves, who were strangers in Egypt, were at first kindly and hospitably received in that country (Deuteronomy 10:18, 19).

Here is a very novel idea: Love people in the outsider category. Why? It is because we were once outsiders here in Unites States of America (USA) or where ever you are. The new immigrants (whether you’re legal or not) know how rotten it feels to be an outsider. We ourselves have felt that pain, too. Do not ever make anyone, anywhere feel as we did.

“I am the LORD your God.” This last phrase is the signature. Why should we love outsiders? Who said so? Well, we all know who said so – God said so. The Lord is our God. If He takes such an interest in loving outsiders, it must be a good idea for everyone else to do the same. Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples. Amen!

Our Lord Jesus Christ is Supreme

In Colossians 1:19-23 NLT says, “19  For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20  and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the Cross. 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.”

In Verses 19-20 describe – The little word for explains why our Lord Jesus Christ will have first place in everything. God wanted His fullness (meaning “completeness” or “totality”) to live (meaning “live permanently”) in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wanted to explain to the Colossians that Christ is God’s dwelling place; therefore, Christ is divine, sovereign, and preeminent. Our Lord Jesus Christ perfectly displays all the attributes and activities of God: Spirit, Word, wisdom, and glory.

By this statement, Paul was refuting the Greek idea that our Lord Jesus Christ could not be human and divine at the same time. Our Lord Jesus Christ is fully human; He is also fully divine. Nor is there more than one God; this one God, in all His fullness, resides in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ has always been God and always will be God. All of God (including His attributes, characteristics, nature, and being) indwells the Son. When we have our Lord Jesus Christ we have all of God in human form. Any teaching that diminishes any aspect of our Lord Jesus Christ – either His humanity or His divinity – is false teaching.

God’s fullness dwells in our Lord Jesus Christ and in that fullness He reconciled everything to Himself. This reconciliation was accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ’s blood on the Cross. “Reconciliation” means reestablishing a relationship, causing a relationship to become friendly and peaceable when it had not been so. Because our Lord Jesus Christ is Creator and Sustainer of everything (Colossians 1:17), His death on the Cross provided reconciliation for everything. But what did Paul mean by “everything”?

First, consider what this reconciliation means for humanity. There can be no peace between sinful humans and a holy God. Because people are born into sin, they cannot become good enough to be acceptable to God. In Old Testament times, God accepted symbolic offerings. Our Lord Jesus Christ had not yet been sacrificed, so God accepted the life of an animal in place of the life of the sinner. When our Lord Jesus Christ came, He substituted His perfect life for our sinful lives, taking the penalty for sin that we deserve. The penalty for sin is death. We are guilty and culpable, but our Lord Jesus Christ took the punishment. Thus, He redeemed us from the power of sin and reconciled us to God.

Second, does this reconciliation of “everything” mean that everyone will be saved? From other passages, we know that Paul understood salvation to be something accepted or rejected by humans, who are given the choice (for example, see 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). The scope of God’s reconciliation is universal – it is offered to all people. But reconciliation is accomplished only for those who accept our Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

Third, what does this reconciliation mean for “everything” (besides humans)? Just as all of creation fell when Adam sinned, so all of creation will be reconciled. Sin has caused all creation to fall from the perfect state in which God created it. Thus, the world is subject to decay so that it cannot fulfill its intended purpose. One day, all creation will be liberated and transformed (Romans 8:19-21).

In addition, Paul’s reference to things in heaven and on earth was meant to be another blow to the false teachers. Nothing in the universe escapes Christ’s reach. There is no neutral ground; everything falls under His power. No alien force of darkness can undermine His work or His church. Satan and demons will not be reconciled to God; instead, their end is certain (see Revelation 20:7-10).

In Verses 21-22 describe that Paul gave the reason why we need reconciliation. The believers in Colosse had, at one time, been far away (separated, estranged) from God and they were His enemies. Their thoughts and behaviors had revealed, not apathy or ignorance, but hostility toward God because of sin. They were strangers to God’s way of thinking. Wrong thinking leads to sin, which further perverts and destroys thoughts about Him. When people are out of harmony with God, their natural condition is to be totally hostile to His standards.

God made peace by His death on the Cross in His own human body (Colossians 1:20). In order to answer the false teaching that our Lord Jesus Christ was only a spirit and not a true human being, Paul explained that our Lord Jesus’ fleshly, physical body actually died. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered death fully as a human; thus, we can be assured that He died in our place. Since our Lord Jesus Christ, as perfect God, faced death, we can be assured that His sacrifice was complete and that He truly removed our sin.

What is the goal of this reconciliation? He wants to bring His people into the very presence of God, holy and blameless, without a single fault. Born-Again Christian believers can be called holy and blameless because they have been acquitted of all charges (Ephesians 5:27; Jude 1:24). Our Lord Jesus Christ’s act of reconciliation put believers in perfect standing with God. By our Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross, God already dealt with sin. His goal is to make believers His holy people, to transform their character so they can live consistent with their faith. The pattern is the perfect life lived by our Lord Jesus Christ. The process of living the Christian life will end with the resurrection and will result in believers being presented to God as His dear and beloved children.

In Verse 23 describes – The certainty of believers’ present and future status with God should not be an excuse for careless living or dabbling in heresy. Paul warned the Colossian believers to continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. As they built their lives upon the foundation laid by the Gospel, they ought to build carefully through obedience. Then their “building” would stand firm. The Colossians should not wander off into false teaching that contradicted the Gospel they had heard and the hope they had believed for salvation.

As Paul closed his introductory section, he made one final stab at the doctrine of the false teachers by proclaiming that the Gospel has been preached all over the world. Spiritual reality was not, as the false teachers claimed, available only to a select group of intellectually elite people. The hope of the Gospel is available to the whole world. And the writer, Paul, had been appointed by God to proclaim that message. This was the Gospel to which Paul had become a servant; this was the only true Gospel. This was what the Colossians had heard and believed. There ought to be no excuse for wandering away into false teaching.

So beware of cult religion and false teachers.

Our Lord Jesus Christ Washes His Disciples’ Feet

In John 13:1-17 NLT says, “1 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to His Father. He had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth, and now He loved them to the very end. 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. 4 So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to Him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray Him. That is what He meant when He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”

In Verses 1-2 describe and explain – Because our Lord Jesus Christ was fully aware that His hour had come to leave this world and return to His Father, He devoted His last hours to instructing and encouraging His disciples. Our Lord Jesus Christ continued His devotion to His disciples until the very end of His life, showing them in this last night the full extent of His love. Before He left them, He wanted to express His love to them, one by one-and this He would do in a way that would surprise them.

The supper was probably the official Passover meal, indicated by Verse 1. And this was a special Passover, for it was the last meal our Lord Jesus Christ would eat with His disciples. During this meal He would institute the “Lord’s Supper” (see Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-39). The context indicates that the food was being placed before them, but the meal itself had not been eaten (see John 13:26, 30).

Our Lord Jesus Christ had already called Judas “a devil” in John 6:70 because our Lord Jesus Christ knew that Judas would cooperate with the Devil in perpetrating our Lord Jesus Christ’s death. Thus, the Devil and Judas corroborated in our Lord Jesus Christ’s betrayal. Indeed, Satan entered Judas to carry out the actual betrayal (see John 13:27).

In Verses 3-5 describe – our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knew His origin and His destiny. He knew that He would soon be returning to His Father. Being assured of His own destiny, He focused His attention on the disciples and showed them what it meant for Him to become their Servant and for them to serve one another. At the time so near to the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s true identity and glory, He set aside what was rightfully His and expressed His character through an act of humility. He got up, took off His robe, and wrapped a towel around His waist like an apron. He then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the model servant, and He showed His servant attitude to His disciples. Foot washing was a common act in Bible times. People traveled mostly on foot in sandals across the dusty roads of Judea. When entering a home, it was customary to wash one’s feet. To not offer to wash a guest’s feet was considered a breach of hospitality (see Luke 7:44). Washing guests’ feet was a job for a household servant to carry out when guests arrived (1 Samuel 25:41). It was a subservient task. What was unusual about this act was that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Master and Teacher, was doing it for His disciples, as the lowliest slave would do.

In Verses 6-9 describe – All the disciples accepted the washing until our Lord Jesus Christ came to Peter, who questioned our Lord Jesus Christ: “Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?” Our Lord Jesus Christ did not provide Peter with an explanation, other than that Peter would understand the significance of the washing some time in the future. Later in the New Testament, Peter explains his understanding of what our Lord Jesus Christ had done (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter came to realize that humble service meant obedience to Christ. When our Lord Jesus Christ washed the disciples’ feet, He was demonstrating His ultimate sacrificial act-giving His life for them on the Cross.

But at this moment, Peter didn’t understand: “You will never wash my feet!” he protested. Seeing the Master behave like a slave confused Peter. And Peter did not feel worthy that his Master should be acting like a slave toward him! This was not an expression of arrogance but of confusion. Peter felt he should be washing the Master’s feet-not the other way around.

Our Lord Jesus Christ responded: “But if I don’t wash you, you won’t belong to me.” There are two possible meanings for this sentence: (1) Our Lord Jesus Christ meant that unless He washed away Peter’s sins by His death on the Cross, then Peter could have no relationship with Him. (2) Our Lord Jesus Christ meant that unless Peter submitted to Him and allowed our Lord Jesus Christ to minister in this way, Peter would never learn the lesson of humility. Either way, Peter seemed to grasp the significance of our Lord Jesus Christ’s words, for He then wanted to be bathed completely.

In Verses 10-11 describe that after one has bathed, another bath is not necessary at the end of the day. The person is still clean-except for the feet, which are constantly soiled by the dust of the ground. A clean and bathed person just needs to have his or her feet rinsed. According to the customs of those times, once a person had bathed, he or she needed only to wash his or her feet upon entering a person’s home.

To be bathed by our Lord Jesus Christ meant to be washed by His living word. To receive our Lord Jesus Christ, nothing is required of the believer except humble acceptance of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. Peter had to sit and humbly allow our Lord Jesus Christ to wash His dirty feet in order to understand that to accept the salvation our Lord Jesus Christ offers means to humbly accept His death on the Cross for all sins.

When our Lord Jesus Christ said, “You are clean, but that isn’t true of everyone,” He was referring to Judas Iscariot (see John 13:18) and suggesting that Judas was not a true believer. Though our Lord Jesus Christ had washed Judas’s feet, Judas was not clean, for He had not come to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ already knew that this man would be used by Satan to bring about the events that unfold in the final chapters of this Gospel.

In Verses 12-16 describe – our Lord Jesus Christ’s act of washing the disciples’ feet demonstrated love in action. Our Lord Jesus Christ was their Teacher and Lord, meaning He was on a higher level than they; yet He assumed a position of humility and service because He loved those He served. Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to wash each other’s feet-to serve one another in love according to the example He set. To refuse to serve others, to refuse to humble yourself, no matter how high your position, is to place yourself above our Lord Jesus Christ. Such arrogant pride is not what our Lord Jesus taught.

These disciples would soon be sent out as the messengers for the Christian church. They would be leaders in many places-indeed, James, John, and Peter became the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught these soon-to-be leaders that as they labored to spread the Gospel, they first and foremost had to be servants to those whom they taught. The disciples must have remembered this lesson often as they labored with the problems, struggles, and joys of the early believers. How many times they must have remembered that they were called to serve. And what a difference it made! Imagine how difficult the growth (even existence) of the early church would have been if these disciples had continued vying for spots of greatness and importance! Fortunately for us, they took our Lord Jesus Christ’s lesson to heart.

In Verse 17 describes – We are blessed (happy, joyful, fulfilled), not because of what we know, but because of what we do with what we know. God’s grace to us finds its completion in the service we, as recipients of his grace, perform for others. We will find our greatest blessing in obeying Christ by serving others.

What would cause the King of heaven to wash the feet of earthlings? One force alone could make this happen: LOVE. If love is the engine of John 13, then humility is the output.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace gentleness and self-control and in our treatment of others.

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these LOVE Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. The True Forgiveness – Podcast Love #1
2. Giving Is The Evidence of Love – Podcast Love #2
3. The Definition of Love – Podcast Love #3
4. God’s Passion for His World – Podcast Love #4
5. The Unconditional Longing of God – Podcast Love #5
6. Permeating All We Do – Podcast Love #6

We will talk again about this final LOVE Podcast series on Valentine’s Day next Sunday. Then, will start the JOY Series Podcast on that day, too.

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating 1 Corinthians 13.

Three (3) Questions we can answer from these Sources: The Bible and Guidance of the Holy Spirit

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

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Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!

God bless you all and our families!

In Malachi 3:10-12 AMPC says, “10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.