[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Friday, October 19 2012

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all and, for my fellow saints of the Most High God in North America, a good evening.  How was your day today? Mine was good, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

Before I begin the good night message proper, I'd like to mention two things.  The seventh anniversary gathering of Seasons of Refreshing Fellowship was a resounding success, thanks to the leading of the Holy Spirit and all who contributed in whatever way, great or small.  As Jerry Clauer wrote as the title of one of his books, "Ain't God Good?" The other thing is a hearty Thank You! for all the birthday wishes and, most of all, prayers, for the undersigned.  Didn't go out and do anything special, but the treasures that money can't buy more than made up for the tangible items.  It's the intangible ones that mean the most to me.

A new author graces our Braille displays, screen readers and computer screens today.  Her name is Ruth O'Neil and her contribution is simply entitled "Love," rendered as follows:

Love. That word can evoke many different meanings to any one person.  It can be emotional, physical or mental.  We love our families and friends.  We love it when someone does something for us or when we have helped someone or have done something good for them.  I love chocolate.

But what does God have to say about love? A lot! To love is one of the greatest commands that God gives us, although it is not one of the Ten Commandments that are found in Exodus.

Jesus said to "love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30).

One of the fruits of the Spirit is love.  Not only are we to love God; we also are to mirror His love to others we see every day.  God clearly tells us that if we do not love other people, there is no way we can love God.  "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20).

That verse always scared me when I was a child, because there were times I hated my brother.

First Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter.  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" (v1-3).

These verses tell us that without love, we are nothing.  Who wants to be nothing? Would we not rather be filled with love and let that love spill out of ourselves onto other people?

The Bible also tells us in Matthew 12:34 that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

How are our mouths speaking? Are they speaking of love because that is what is on our hearts? Or are our hearts filled with something else? That is something to think about, is it not?

And there you have it for today.  I hope that this article gave you some food for thought.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout the night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul