What is the Love of God

Isaiah 58:10 — “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness…” Everybody has urges. Some urges are selfish. Some pull us toward things that can hurt us or the people around us. But I believe the Holy Spirit also gives […]

Proverbs 18:21 — “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” For me, the biggest problem with words is that they don’t have a fishing line and reel attached to them. I hurl out a thousand words, never thinking about the consequences — and […]

Ephesians 4:32 — “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” I don’t know about the rest of Christendom, but I know this much about myself: I need to be nicer. Where is the word “nice” in the Bible? It is all over […]

Isaiah 40:29 — “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” I once heard someone say that God gives some people willpower and others simply do not get it. That sounds convenient — but I think it is an easy cop-out. The Bible certainly speaks about strength, […]

Matthew 24:6 — “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled.” I have a nightmare that comes back to me again and again. In it, I’m caught in the middle of a firefight — but I have no armor and no weapon. Just me, exposed, in the […]

Proverbs 22:4 — “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.” I once knew a missionary who told me, more than once, how humble he was. I have to be honest with you — I never quite bought it. Because in all my years I’ve noticed something: truly humble […]

John 15:5 — “I am the vine, ye are the branches… for without me ye can do nothing.” Let me confess something to you. I am a man who rushes. When I preach, I want results. When I teach the Word, I want results. When I pray, I want them right then. I push, I […]

Ephesians 4:32 — “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” This week I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with the Sandinistas. Before I went, I asked God what He wanted me to say to them. His answer was simple: just preach love, grace […]

Psalm 23:1 — “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” My son used to ask me a question I could never quite answer. As you may know, Paul said, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound” (Philippians 4:12). Deannie Jr. would look up at me and say, “Okay, […]

Ezekiel 37:3 — “Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.” When I first surrendered to the mission field, I was certain God was sending me to minister to gringo surfers on the beaches of Costa Rica. Instead, I have spent thirty-three years in a garbage dump — […]

Christian! (how many times is that word in the Bible?). The answer is only 3! (And two are in a bad way) 1. Acts 11:26: “…And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” When the word Christian came out at first, it was a name given to believers by people outside of the faith. […]

Isaiah 43:19 KJV Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beauty of being a born-again Christian is that we are ‘born-again’ again every morning. Jesus’ love and mercy are new […]

1. Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this […]

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. We had a YWAM team here this week to minister to the children. The delight they had in their eyes, the radical love for the children, and their extreme love for Jesus impressed me. I used to have it to […]

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God Grief is defined as deep sorrow, sadness, or intense emotional distress. Grief seems so human. So what does it mean when Paul writes this? How can God’s Holy Spirit possibly grieve? And what could a mere human do to make the Spirit grieve? I, as […]

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account. When I was in the army, I visited a Nazarene church off base. An Army Officer invited me to a dinner. He was a chaplain so I thought it […]

John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans That’s Jesus’ words to His disciples at the last supper. Notice He told them this AFTER Judas left to betray Him. He didn’t tell this to Judas. Jesus goes on to say, John 14:18 I will come to you showing them that his departure through crucifixion is […]

There are 29M slaves today in the world. I am going to start praying for them as a people group. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. […]

Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. The daily news says ‘The Euphrates River is experiencing a severe, rapid decline due to climate change, unsustainable water management, and […]

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. John (known as the disciple that Jesus loved, the Apostle of love, Jesus’ […]

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones Medicine heals. And Laughter heals. Therefore, laughter is medicine. The children down here are so sad, for so much of their lives. That makes me sad, but praise God, they usually laugh when they’re around me. I try […]

Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”…God GodWillNever break His promise and leave us. God will never break any promise. I know that is true because God said it, and God can’t lie. God loves us with an incredible, supreme love. He created us to love us. It breaks His heart when […]

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. This verse applies to all saved Christians (evidenced by concern for other souls). I […]

2 Cor 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Light is not always a good thing. When I got hit in the face all I saw was a blinding light. Still do every now and then. In Mexico, the bandidos had a spotlight in the back of their […]

Last Part, Part 6 of the armor of God series. The belt of truth Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth. If you are born into a wasp home in America, you’ve heard about the Armor of God at least a hundred times. The Bible tells us to put it on. […]

Ephesians 6:17 Take.. the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) The fifth piece of the whole armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Holy Word of God. You not only have to pick it up, but to maximize lethality, and not hurt your own striking arm, you have […]

Bulletproof Shoes (armor of God Part 4) Most important part of combat in my opinion, are the shoes. Ephesians 6:15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Gotta keep your feet protected. My jump boots had added ankle protection, though little did it help. But the army does everything they […]

Bulletproof Helmets (armor of God Part 3) Only God’s Helmets are Bulletproof, man made ones aren’t! Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation Every Word of God is useful. But the book of Ephesians really helps me a lot lately. The helmet of salvation, from Ephesians 6:17, represents God’s protection of a believer’s mind, […]

Bulletproof Breastplate (Armor Of God, Pt 2) Ephesians 6:14 “having on the breastplate of righteousness” 2nd teaching of 6 on the Armor of God. The Breastplate of Righteousness is our perfect, unchanging, God given grace that will take us to heaven when we die, and give us an abundant life on earth. He only gives […]

Luke 12:51 KJV “Suppose ye that I am come to bring peace on earth? Nay, but rather division.” I used to think that Christianity just meant walking around, saying ‘peace’ to everyone, avoiding arguments, and giving ‘butterfly kisses’. I thought that tolerance was actually a Christian virtue. I even voted democrat! (A long time ago, […]

Acts 10:24 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons WHAT DOES “God is no respecter of persons” mean? God is not fair, He is just and righteous. People think that this verse shows that God has no favoritism or partiality. But that’s not […]