Love – Page 12 – The Nexus

Morning Musing: 1 John 4:20

January 30, 2019January 29, 2019Leave a comment

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

Every now and then you come across a verse you’d rather just leave alone all things considered. If you could unread it somehow you might really consider doing that. Or, you could be convinced to make up something that isn’t totally true in order to fall generally in line with whatever it seems to be saying. This is one of those verses.

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Digging in Deeper: Galatians 5:22-23

January 28, 2019January 29, 2019Leave a comment

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The fruit of the Spirit. Even if you’re not a Jesus person you may have seen the phrase before on a piece of kitschy artwork in a store that tries to market to Jesus people. Even if you would consider yourself thoroughly secular in every regard, you have to at least admit it’s a pretty good list of attitudes or mindsets or character traits or whatever else you want to call them.

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Morning Musing: 1 Samuel 2:25

July 25, 2018July 24, 2018Leave a comment

“‘If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?’ But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

This is one of those verses that’s hard to get our minds around at first read. And second read. And third too. The Lord willed to put them to death? What happened to mercy and compassion and grace? Who can survive if the Lord deigns to destroy them? Read the rest…

Morning Musing: James 1:25

May 23, 2018May 22, 2018Leave a comment

“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

As far as their historical worth goes, the Scriptures have a value that exceeds any other work of literature. They have had more of an impact on human history in terms of shaping and forming the guiding assumptions of people than every other book combined. The King James Version alone has had more of an impact on the English language than Shakespeare did. Simply knowing and understanding the Scriptures without caring two wits about the God they reveal is important if you want to be a well-cultured individual. But, if you want the real blessing they have to offer, you have to go beyond that to committing yourself to doing what they say. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: Philippians 1:9-11

May 16, 2018May 14, 2018Leave a comment

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (ESV – Read the chapter)

It is popular nowadays to talk about the all-encompassing power and importance of love. We are sometimes led to believe that if we do nothing other than love each other, our lives will be perfectly harmonious and the world will have all of its problems resolved. But, while love is certainly the chief of the virtues–there’s no question on that fact in the Scriptures–contrary to popular theology and the Beatles popular song, love is not all we need. Read the rest…