Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: love

A New Commandment

Encouragement, Trust

A New Commandment

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
‭‭John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭

 

Washing Feet And Loving Others

It was the night before Jesus was to be crucified on the cross and He just had the Passover meal with the disciples.  Jesus grabs a towel and begins to wash their feet.  An awkward moment maybe, but humility was on His mind.  He wanted to teach the disciples a very important lesson that would have lasting memories.  He washed their feet.

Peter didn’t want any part of it.  He didn’t know what was going on but he did felt that it wasn’t right.  That is the principle that Jesus was teaching.  If you want to be great you must be the least among people.  Jesus wanted to teach the disciples that to lead and spread Christianity it was going to take an effort of being a servant and not being served to.  But when Jesus was finished He gave them a new commandment.

This commandment was to love one another. At first sight you might wonder who this was a new commandment.  What Jesus was saying was it is a new commandment in a sense that they were to love as Christ loved them.  They were about to witness the greatest love known to man.  Jesus was soon to give His life as ransom for sinners.  As Jesus displayed His love for others so are we to display our love to others.  Jesus goes on to say in verse 35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Jesus said to love others as He loves them and you will be known for your love toward others.  Let me ask you a question: “Do people know your a Christian because of your love for others?”

Prayer

Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity today to show Christ-like love to someone who needs it the most.

Watch And Pray

Encouragement, Trust

Watch And Pray

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41

 

The Spirit vs. The Flesh

Jesus warned Peter, James, and John to watch and pray as He went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray to the Father.  He had just celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and was about to be betrayed by Judas.  The guards were seeking to arrest Him and He knew He only had a couple of hours to prepare Himself for the worst suffering and torture known to man. Three times Jesus went away to pray and three times He returned and found the three men slumbering.

Jesus tried warning the three disciples but they let their guard down.  Little did they know that they were about to be tested and tempted more than ever before.  They didn’t think all of this would happen on that night because it was a time of Jewish celebration.  In verse 33 Peter exhaust himself and exclaimed that he would never deny Him even if he were to die.  Three times Peter denied Jesus before the rooster crowed.

We all fall into similar slumbering.  We think all is well and life couldn’t be any better.  That is when Satan prowls like a lion to devour.  We must never let our guard down.  We must always be alert to the temptations of sin.  Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  We all have high regards to what we strive to do for Christ but in the end we each fall into the same category as Peter.  Good intentions are not good enough.

We can all relate to Paul and his dilemma in Romans 7:15-20.  He sums it up in verse 19, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Prayer

Pray for the Lord to help you to stay alert keep you from the temptation of sin.

Abide In My Love

Trust

Abide In My Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
‭‭John‬ ‭15:9‬ 

His Love Is Everlasting

There is no greater love than the love of Jesus.  God’s love for the world is witnessed through the person of Jesus for the sole purpose that all people should be saved.  His love is unconditional and unchanging.  The promise of the Scripture tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35)

As we read and study the Word of God, the message of His love is embedded through every book and every chapter.  God wants us to know who much He loves and cares for each of us.  During times of uncertainty and difficulty His love never fails.  His great love is all we need to face everyday with hope and joy.  Allow the Word of God to penetrate your heart and mind so that you discover His perfect will.  Jesus says to “abide” or “remain” in His love.

Jesus desires that we never drift away from the truth of His love.  It is easy to get distracted  with all the things of the world and forget how much He loves us.  No matter how busy we get or how famous we become we never need to forget His loving promises.  Sometimes we stray away from His Word and we allow the things of this world to control our minds and hearts.  But the only way to abide or remain in His love is to be in constant and consistent meditation of the Scriptures.  His Word is living and powerful and we should never find a substitute for it.  Your life depends on your devotion and allegiance to the Bible.  Stay in His love and stay in His Word.

Prayer

Ask God to remove whatever is keeping you from reading and studying the Bible.