God’s love: Two-a-Penny

I am touched by the love of God. When I see the suffering of so many in this tortured world of ours, I am prone to ask myself, "Where is there even an iota of justice?" But I rarely ask myself, "Where is God?" I know God is there and He is in love with His world. He has promised his presence and that is adequate for me, but He has declared His love in the most simplistic and proverbial way. God loves sparrows. And if sparrows, why not us? Sparrows in Jesus' day were sold for a penny, yet not one of them could fall to the ground without the Father's leave.

The Life of Love

1 John 4 The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:7, 8, New King James Version). Let's examine the life of love as described b

Is My Main Motivation Really Love?

Twenty-first in a series1 Corinthians 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13) Question #1: Why do I do what I do that is religious in nature? That is an awkward question, isn't it? Think about it. You are a religious pe

Learning How To Love

1 John 4:7-11 JESUS CHRIST said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another: By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13: 34,35). Jesus Christ and His teachings tower over

Love’s Secret Ingredient

1 Corinthians 13:5 Today I would like to think with you about love's secret ingredient. Claim the words from 1 Corinthians with me. "Love is patient and kind. It is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. Love never insists on its way." These are from one of the m

Love For One Another

John 13:31-35 Love can be a very complicated thing. On this particular Sunday, which is Mother's Day, we not only honor our mothers and celebrate the memory of those whose faith is now sight, we also take advantage of a moment to hear a timely reminder from Jesus. I sense it has been expressed through...

The Greatest of These

Alice in Wonderland is confused when Humpty Dumpty uses a word to make it mean many things. Alice remarked: "That's a great deal to make one word mean." Love in the English language is one of those overloaded words. It carries on its back the freight of a multitude of meanings.

You Just Got to Love ‘Em

You Just Got to Love 'Em Dr. Clyde Francisco was teaching his Old Testament Survey class at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary when he hesitated over the story of Elisha calling bears to attack some young men who were taunting the prophet (2 Kings 2:23-25)

Commanding Love

Commanding Love (Lectionary Starters) Fifth Sunday after Easter, Year B May 25, 2003 John 15:9-17 Donald Charles Lacy, Pastor, Yorktown United Methodist Church, Yorktown, IN The death on the Cross continues to be explored 2,000 years later. Why would a totally innocent man suffer the excruc