ISDAMan
05-11-01, 10:58 PM
Friday Night Sermon -- Online Bible Study
From: www.NailScarred.net (http://www.NailScarred.net?sciforums.com)
Getting Down To Action Part 5
Part 18 Of A Study In 2 Corinthians
I know, in recent days, God has shown me, quite directly, in my life, that I need to learn this lesson better. The action we need to be getting down to is Love and we need to do it in spite of others and in spite of ourselves. Love does not overlook sin. Love deals with it and attempts to reach the person in spite of the sin. I can tell you that it is not in my nature to seek peace with an enemy. I am a fighter. If you need it dealt with, I'm your man. I would rather establish boarders. Love would rather cross them. My trend is to establish a long record of fully accurate positives and negatives in dealing with an enemy. Love, on the other hand, is quick to establish a new record.
This is where I know that I have fallen short. Being correct is not always the best good. I'm not making an argument for the striving for a lack of perfection. It's simply that, like the verse that tells us that it does not profit a man to gain the whole world if he looses his own soul, there's more to this game of life than striving for correctness. There's more to it than trying to meet the letter of he law. Being correct is all well and good. Nevertheless, if it was a correctness based on anything but love, it was worthless.
Again, in spite of the person, and in spite of ourselves, we have got to reach forward and attempt to cross those boundaries. At my work, there are some people that have acted like absolute snakes and devils. My reaction has been to put up a wall and to have nothing to do with them. Now, I admit, there are some, and I know that Bible would back me up, that really are best left alone. Even so, that's more of the exception than the rule. I have not gone out in spite of. Verse 15 of chapter 4 talks about the joy of the lost becoming saved. If we don't get down to action and love those people in spite of themselves and in spite of ourselves, they may never be open to the Gospel. How hard is it to reach out to an enemy? It's not as hard as having to face God and explain way you let that person slip away into Hell!
Another thing God has been teaching me, love practiced well, will keep your friends as friends. They are not likely to ever become an enemy when you can love and reach out to them in spite of themselves and in spite of yourself. As I have said to you in the past and as my Pastor was so good as to remind the Church in recent days, Love is a CHOICE! You choose to Love or you choose to Hate. You choose to be indifferent. You choose so, choose well. Love because you want to. If you do not want to, you'd better go back and check whether you truly do Love God
Christian website of the week: www.nailscarred.net-ChristianSiteOfTheWeek05-11-01 (http://www.hopefortheheart.org/?HOPE FOR THE HEART
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you..."
Luke 6:27, NIV
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32, NIV
ISDAMan
From: www.NailScarred.net (http://www.NailScarred.net?sciforums.com)
Getting Down To Action Part 5
Part 18 Of A Study In 2 Corinthians
I know, in recent days, God has shown me, quite directly, in my life, that I need to learn this lesson better. The action we need to be getting down to is Love and we need to do it in spite of others and in spite of ourselves. Love does not overlook sin. Love deals with it and attempts to reach the person in spite of the sin. I can tell you that it is not in my nature to seek peace with an enemy. I am a fighter. If you need it dealt with, I'm your man. I would rather establish boarders. Love would rather cross them. My trend is to establish a long record of fully accurate positives and negatives in dealing with an enemy. Love, on the other hand, is quick to establish a new record.
This is where I know that I have fallen short. Being correct is not always the best good. I'm not making an argument for the striving for a lack of perfection. It's simply that, like the verse that tells us that it does not profit a man to gain the whole world if he looses his own soul, there's more to this game of life than striving for correctness. There's more to it than trying to meet the letter of he law. Being correct is all well and good. Nevertheless, if it was a correctness based on anything but love, it was worthless.
Again, in spite of the person, and in spite of ourselves, we have got to reach forward and attempt to cross those boundaries. At my work, there are some people that have acted like absolute snakes and devils. My reaction has been to put up a wall and to have nothing to do with them. Now, I admit, there are some, and I know that Bible would back me up, that really are best left alone. Even so, that's more of the exception than the rule. I have not gone out in spite of. Verse 15 of chapter 4 talks about the joy of the lost becoming saved. If we don't get down to action and love those people in spite of themselves and in spite of ourselves, they may never be open to the Gospel. How hard is it to reach out to an enemy? It's not as hard as having to face God and explain way you let that person slip away into Hell!
Another thing God has been teaching me, love practiced well, will keep your friends as friends. They are not likely to ever become an enemy when you can love and reach out to them in spite of themselves and in spite of yourself. As I have said to you in the past and as my Pastor was so good as to remind the Church in recent days, Love is a CHOICE! You choose to Love or you choose to Hate. You choose to be indifferent. You choose so, choose well. Love because you want to. If you do not want to, you'd better go back and check whether you truly do Love God
Christian website of the week: www.nailscarred.net-ChristianSiteOfTheWeek05-11-01 (http://www.hopefortheheart.org/?HOPE FOR THE HEART
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you..."
Luke 6:27, NIV
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32, NIV
ISDAMan