Salvation Check 2

[Gerry]

Do we love other believers? I mean really LOVE them? Love to be around them, talk to them, fellowship with them?

There are many verses, especially in the NT that assure us that as born again Christians we have passed from death unto life. But there is one in I John that is both comforting and sobering. Look at I John 3:14:

"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."

Since we as Christians have passed from death unto life, and we know this, according to God’s written Word, BECAUSE we love the brethren, we have to ask ourselves seriously: Do we love our brothers/sisters in Christ? We need to be sure about this because if we do not, then we are abiding in DEATH!

John 14:6 : Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 15:17: These things I command you, that ye love one another.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

 

[GraftMeIn]

Nice salvation check Gerry,
Yes, it is very important that we learn to Love one another. And if anyone is struggeling in this area, they only need to ask the Lord to show them how. For he is willing to teach them.

Thanks for the great reminder, and for keeping us in check with the Spirit of our Lord and Saviour!

 

[Gerry]

Most born again Christians have a Bible or at least access to one. In that Bible is a Book I refer to as the Book of Love. It is I John. When you couple that Book with the Book of St. John, there is no reason for us to struggle to love one another. If we have Jesus in our hearts the love should flow as easliy as water downhill. When it does not, we have moved too far away from God, and we need to get on our face and get right. Jesus is coming soon and we do not need to be found with a cold stoney empty heart!

 

[carmen]

Yes very good message. I hope I was correct in hearing you have more of these. GraftMeIn you said the key of learning to love. And Gerry you said the answer John and staying close to the word.
Thanks both of you.

 

[GodOwnsMe]

all this often becomes so ..vague to me as I get confused and scared
..
I dunno I sometimes 'wish' (naw I really don't.......no way) I'd just not be worried and could be okay with being 'somewhere in between' and look at other people and am like allright so I can't imagine them going to hell so it'll be okay for me to behave like them (at the moment I'm often wondering if I'm not going to hell or anything.. just don't really go into it.. guess God might be giving me 'peace' about this I don't know..)

like I think yesterday I was reading the book of James (wow and I remember it being such great help to me like one or two years ago !!)

I don't know what it is, whatever I do..
I mean like a 'typical' morning situation
was when I had still some minutes left to do my hair. It just came to my mind that God loves me no matter what I look like and I should be reading the bible. I mean ehhhhhhhhhhhh ???

If it was just that.. I dunno if it's God leading me kinda don't think so but maybe thats just cause I don't want to...I mean when I'm confused I can get these thoughts like all the time and will feel guilty whatever I do !!

there are many things playing together
here but I just sometimes feel totally pushed around (and yeh I know it's also self)

just the worst is when I ask for forgiveness and can't believe I am actually forgiven.... like I can't thank God for forgiving me and instead keep 'begging' him to forgive me.

The dumbest thing is I won't act better then but rather get angry and stuff.

all of this can make it so hard to 'love' sometimes.........................................

allright....I hope none of this is going to bother anyone.. at the same time I feel
so carried thru everything and I know God is caring and will help me out there
God Bless you people

 

[Sharky]

HMmm, i never realised this but ever since i rededicated my life i've been so different somewhat. People i used to hate i don't hate anymore. I'm calmer, cooler, more self controlled now. Sometimes i stuff up in God's eyes but i always feel Him picking me up again. I don't think there's a person in the world i hate now unlike before.

 

[Gerry]

I firmly believe the Book of St. John is the one Book in the Bible that Christians MUST learn in order to graduate from Sand Box and go on higher in ther education. If it was the ONLY Book of the Bible we had we would have EVERYTHING we really have to know as a Christian.

But the Book of I John, I almost invariably refer to as the Book of Love. It became so automatic to me that I have worried that one day in speaking before a Church I would ask people to "Turn to the Book of Love".

It is a very short Book but filled with Power like a stick of dynamite! It is interesting to note that both Books in the Bible containing that name are so filled with basics for the Christian and at the same time so filled with POWER!

Originally posted by carmen
Yes very good message. I hope I was correct in hearing you have more of these. GraftMeIn you said the key of learning to love. And Gerry you said the answer John and staying close to the word.
Thanks both of you.

 

[Gerry]

If you have a Chemistry lab in school, perhaps you will notice that chemicals have their own way of acting and reacting, just as Christians do. You may also note that if you fill a tube half way with one chemical and slowly add a different one, that the second chemical willnot mix, but rather PUSH the first chemical to the top untill it spills over and soon it is eliminated all together, and completely replaced with the second chemical.

THAT is how love works in our heart. When we are saved Jesus, Who IS Love, enters our hearts, and if we maintain our Fellwship with Him that love will grow and grow untill it pushes all the hate right out of our heart.

Originally posted by Sharky
HMmm, i never realised this but ever since i rededicated my life i've been so different somewhat. People i used to hate i don't hate anymore. I'm calmer, cooler, more self controlled now. Sometimes i stuff up in God's eyes but i always feel Him picking me up again. I don't think there's a person in the world i hate now unlike before.