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Greetings and thank you for
visiting!
February 2010
This month's scripture: "The Greatest Commandment"
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that
Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments,
which is the most important?"
"The most important one," Jesus answered, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifies."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to
him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared
ask him any more questions." Mark 12:28-34, NIV
Sermon:
"Beloved, I humbly and sincerely extend grace and peace to you in the name of
our lord and savior Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who alone is our messiah.
Please pray daily to Him honestly and completely, His personal letter each day & selflessly witness as much as possible solely in obedience to our heavenly father, and attend church every Sunday and share what you learn here. In our latest spiritual lesson, Christ explains how love for our creator and sustainer (and love for our fellow man) must be at the forefront of our minds at all times.
A central part of exhibiting true love to our neighbors is by demonstrating great kindness (which we must extend more often and in better quality to those around us with each passing day, so they can consider us a safe, helpful, and holy place of refuge to run to in times of joy and concern); in reference to this necessary trait, Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) says "as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." This fine day, how can you be more patient with someone whose presence you tend to dislike, and/or be more willing to wait for the outcome of a journey you're navigating through? Additionally, peacefulness is mandatory for us (since we serve and live for the prince of peace), and our redeemer states in John 14:27 (NIV) "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." How can you instill more abundant peace in the life of someone around you at this time, who's experiencing a negative trial from the enemy? Also, we're called to be steadfast, and 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) laments this by saying "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." How can you extend your energy and time to glorify Him with selfless service, while also going the extra mile to also assist your neighbor in a positive way, out of praise for our diety?
In conclusion, a critical part of genuinely practicing
the love which He demands centers around forgiving others as they do us wrong,
and Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) laments this perfectly by saying "Get rid of all
bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you." Rise to the heavenly challenge given to us by being
more diligent at every possible moment about maturely and constructively
avoiding the worthless devil's unrighteous and sure-defeat philosophies of
mindless and useless fury by seeking and building worthwhile interactions for
the kingdom which are quick to forgive and eager to see how disciples (and those
who haven't yet given themselves to our heavenly father, which everyone needs to
as soon as possible) can joyfully and ideally come into full and proper fruition
for the honor of our savior. God bless!"
Please
send mail to: P.O. Box 5075, Morton, IL, 61550 USA
(309)
838-3905. andyangel74@yahoo.com
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