September 2008
It is a pleasure to share this month’s
view with you. I am also blessed to hear
the positive feedback that these views from
God’s perspective generate. I am thankful
for my accountability partners who keep
me on course when I veer off track.
A Prison View
The Abounding Love website
has links throughout. These may be hidden
unless you search through the site. It is
almost impossible to know how to define
a search. This means you must surf through
many pages to find these valuable nuggets.
One case in point is found
at the bottom of last month’s view.
I placed a News Flash there in case
you missed it. It is a video of the prison
yard, buildings and cells where I am housed,
produced in June 2008 by a TV station. One
viewer said: “It is really something
to see exactly where you live and what your
world looks like.”
I apologize for these links
being hard to find, but you’ll be
able to find many of them if you take a
little time on the site. I hope to share
more things in the future that might interest
you, as well as sharing spiritual insights.
It is my prayer that these efforts will
be a blessing to you. If so, please contact
us!
Can’t “Fix”
them!
A Christian brother named
Walter came to me last month asking what
we could do about several men who had fallen
away from the chapel activities. I tried
to lessen his concerns by helping him to
see that we can’t “fix”
them. In the same breath, he was repenting
of being legalistic in the past, explaining
how he had been more concerned with pushing
his doctrinal beliefs on others than sharing
the love and fellowship of Christ. I asked
him if that could be the problem with those
who had fallen away?
The Apostle Paul used the
phrase “fallen away from God’s
grace,” not concerning those who had
lost their salvation, but of deceived Christians
who fell back to establishing their right
standing with God through their own fleshly
works [by keeping the law]. Our right standing
with God depends on righteousness by faith
in Jesus Christ alone. 1
As a result of falling
from grace, they were lacking the Spiritual
ability [grace] to live the Christian life,
thus carrying out the works of the flesh:
“sexual immorality, impure thoughts,
eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry,
participation in demonic activities, hostility,
quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling
that everyone is wrong except those in your
own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild
parties and other kinds of sin.”
2
A Turn Off!
Many of you may have been
turned off with the Christian message because
of legalistic, judgmental, or self-righteous
Christians. I don’t blame you because
nobody likes to be judged and made to feel
like a second-rate citizen. This is not
only true for those who have not received
Christ, but it is a turn off to those who
have served Christ for many years.
I went on to explain to
Walter how those who live legalistic lives,
pointing out the faults of others, are in
fact, insecure themselves. The reason they
put others down is to build themselves up,
which is contrary to the Christian faith
that builds up others by pointing to the
grace of Jesus Christ.
Jude, the servant of Jesus
Christ, said: But you, dear friends, must
continue to build your lives on the foundation
of your holy faith. And continue to pray
as you are directed by the Holy Spirit.
Live in such a way that God’s love
can bless you as you wait for the eternal
life that our Lord Jesus Christ in His mercy
is going to give you. Show mercy to those
whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by
snatching them from the flames of judgment.
There are still others to whom you need
to show mercy, but be careful that you aren’t
contaminated by their sins. 3
Damaging Self-Love
Self-love is a damaging
new age teaching that has crept into the
body of Christ as a positive attitude to
seek. Self-love has long been recognized
in psychology as “narcissism,”
a psychological defect of character. This
heart defect in the life of a Christian
results in self-righteousness, which causes
one to become judgmental and hard to be
around.
The Pharisees were a very
legalistic, self-righteous sect during Jesus’
days. A lawyer of the sect asked Jesus:
“Teacher, which is the most important
commandment in the law of Moses?”
Jesus replied: “You must love the
Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, and all your mind. This is the first
and greatest commandment. A second is equally
important. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
4 They were to love
others unselfishly. They naturally loved
themselves and were the best for themselves.
They should have been concerned for the
welfare of others.
My problem has not
been a lack of love for myself. This is
why Jesus tells us to “…deny
ourselves and take up His cross and follow
Him.” 5 Daily,
I am to “say no to myself” and
to give myself in service to others so that
the love and grace of God can flow freely
through me. This is what the Abounding Love
website is all about; helping you to feel
loved and to help you understand that God
loves you.
God Loves You!
The Pharisees of old and
the legalists of today try to fix us with
do’s and don’ts, but the answer
is to know and share the love of God with
each other. The Chinese Christians have
been oppressed by legalists for years, but
are finding more freedom to worship. Zhenbao
Lian, an attorney, converted to Christ in
2003. “I never thought I could feel
so moved,” Lian, 40 says. “I
knew that it was God’s love that was
filling me. It couldn’t come from
humans.” [USA Today, August 20, 2008,
11B].
God sent His Son and healed,
and delivered us from all destruction through
the work of the cross. 6
The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins,
just as our Father planned, in order to
rescue us from this evil world in which
we live. This is why all glory belongs to
God through all ages of eternity. 7
The Apostle Paul knew that
self-love was not the answer, but rather
he called himself five times “the
disciple who Jesus loved.” 8
I’ve found that the revelation of
the blood of Christ frees the Holy Spirit
to teach us to know God’s love. 9
We know how much God loves us, and we have
put our trust in Him. God is love, and all
who live in love live in God, and God lives
in them. 10 We are
to “…love one another, as Jesus
has loved us.” 11
Listen to John the Beloved:
“We know what real love is because
Christ gave up His life for us. And so we
also ought to give up our lives for our
Christian friends.” 12
Again he says, “This is real love.
It is not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His son as a sacrifice
to take away our sins.” 13
And lastly, “We love each other as
a result of Jesus loving us first.”
14
We conclude: “For
God so loved the world that He gave His
only Son, so that everyone who believes
in Him will not perish but have eternal
life. God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn it, but to save it. There
is no judgment awaiting those who trust
Him. But those who do not trust Him have
already been judged for not believing in
the only Son of God.” 15
A Prayer For You ...
Heavenly Father: I pray
that Christ will be more and more at home
in my heart as I trust in You. May my roots
go down deep into the soil of Your marvelous
love. And may I have the power to understand
how wide, how long, how high, and how deep
Your love really is. May I experience the
love of Christ. Then I will be filled with
the fullness of life and power that comes
from You. Now glory be to God! By Your mighty
power at work within me. You are able to
accomplish infinitely more than I would
ever dare to ask or hope. May You be given
glory in the church forever and ever, through
endless ages. Amen! 16
Scripture References:
1 Gal. 5:4, 5
2 Gal. 5:19-21
3 Jude 20-23
4 Matt. 22:36-39, Lev. 19:18, 34
5 Luke 9:23
6 Psa. 107:20
7 Gal. 1:3, 4
8 John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20
9 1 John 20:20, 27
10 1 John 4:16
11 John 13:34; 15:12
12 1 John 3:16
13 1 John 4:10
14 1 John 4:19
15 John 3:16-18
16 Eph. 3:17-21
Acknowledgement: A special thanks
to Sherry for transcribing this months view!
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