The Love of Our God

1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God's love is something that I will most likely never understand until the day I see Him face to face.  I was sitting here tonight contemplating love.  I was thinking about how we show each other love.  I was thinking about how families love one another and in what ways they show it

I think sometimes it is so easy to take that word and make it something so insignificant.  The word love carries so much power.  I think about the love I have for my wife.  There is literally not one thing that I wouldn't do for her.  (except lay off sugar)  ha ha.  I would walk to the ends of the earth for her.  But I struggle to take out the trash for her.  I would lay down my life for her, but I struggle to do dishes for her.  My children, I would gladly lay down my life for, but I sometimes neglect spending the time with them that they deserve. 

I guess I am just blogging about my feelings tonight, because I see God's love in my own life.  I see it in every conceivable way;  Big and small.

Today a young man asked me, "why did Jesus weep?"  My response to him was that it showed Jesus' tremendous love for His children.  When Jesus cried for Mary, Martha, and those who loved the fallen Lazarus He did so out of love.  He knew that He was just minutes away from raising Lazarus from the dead.  But it was a heart of hurt for those who hurt.  Jesus saw the devastation in the heart of those who mourned and even though He would fix the problem, He mourned right along with them. View this here  

I look at my life and I think of how far God has brought me all these years.  He took a selfish, hard-hearted fella like me and put me in a place to work for the King of all Kings.  I actually have a job to do in the work of the Kingdom and that blows me away that He loves me that much that He would allow me this privilege.  God's love is without bounds, it knows no limit. 

That is why I feel it is so vital that we show love to one another....big and small.  You can say you would defend your brother or sister when times get tough. But how can that be true, if we won't defend them when things aren't that tough?  I want to challenge each one of us to look at God's love as a portrait of what we should do for others. 

1 John 3:14 says, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death."

Remember, the proof of your relationship with God is based on your love for others.

"If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."-1 John 4:20

Today, allow your heart to be filled with the love that only God can put in it.  Show your love, whether big or small.  Demonstrate your love for God, by the way you love others.  And above all else....know this:

 "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"  Romans 5:8

My friends,  love God first and others as you love yourself and you will have fulfilled exactly what God desires for your life.

Be Blessed,
G

It's time to accept responsibility

It's interesting how God leads many times.  I feel lead at this time (whether by God or by self I don't know) to share what the Bible teaches us about accepting responsibility for our actions.  In the books of Samuel and Chronicles we learn of a shepherd boy named David who rose to power as the king of Israel.  He did many great things, but had many times that he displeased the Lord, one of which was his affair with Bathsheba.  Because of this sin not only was David and Bathsheba's life changed, but her husband, and their child, and David's kingdom were all affected.  David appeared to have hid his sin, but a prophet came to David and the prophet explained that God knew of David's sin and that David would pay for his sin.  There were consequences for those sins and with a message from God's spokesman David took responsibility for his actions and healing began.  It was slow and the results of that sin were still there, but God forgave and healing began with the acceptance of fault.

You see how can you get forgiveness if you don't ask it from God?   And furthermore how can you confess sin that you yourself refuse to recognise?  God can't forgive the sins of the one who blames others when in fact we should be looking inwardly.

Look at the first man,  Adam was given very clear instructions in genesis chapter 2.  God said that Adam could eat of any tree in the garden, but one.  Once God made Eve and Eve was deceived she ate of the fruit and the Bible says that Adam, who was with her, ate also.  The Bible doesn't say that in ignorance Adam ate.  We know that Adam knew full well what he was eating otherwise God would not have held a sin to him.  Adam ate knowing what he was doing and knowing God said not to and when God asked him what he had done what did Adam say?  He said, " the woman You gave me gave me the fruit and I ate".  Did you hear how Adam not only blamed Eve,  but he blamed God for making Eve and giving her to him.  Adam should've taken notice of his sin and taken care of his wife.  Instead he was a passive husband and he let his wife go it alone, then he blamed her when he was even more guilty than she was.  In genesis 2 the Bible records a conversation between God and Adam.  Eve was not there.  She was later informed of this tree and the rule of it because she relayed it to the serpent later. 

Here is point of it all.  There comes a time in all our lives when we have to stop blaming others and start accepting responsibility for our own lives.  We all sin and forgiveness is there for the one who will confess that sin.  The Bible says that when we confess our sins to God He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.  

So, maybe through this message God is trying to tell you something.  Maybe its time to stop, take a deep breath, and look inwardly for the cause of our hurt.  Our decisions are forever and they leave a mark on everyone in our lives, but it is never to late to start again and make things right.  God is the God of second chances and praise His name, we even get 3rd and 4th chances too.  But in order to gain forgiveness we must first acknowledge the need for that forgiveness.  How did your sin affect others?  How can your repentance affect others?  Only God knows and its time you found out...

That's how the Bible says it and that is how Dold sees it.

Yours in Christ,

This is where the healing begins

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

Hey guys,  It has been a while since my last discussion.  Things have really picked up and they haven't settled down for the last few months.  I am happy with the way God is working my life together.  I get to wake up everyday and do what God has put me on this Earth to do....Preach healing to those that are "sick".

I remember a passage from God's word where the Pharisee saw Jesus eating with Tax Collectors and sinners.  They said to Jesus and His disciples, "why does He eat with these tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus responded by saying, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.".  You know, the thing about that is that we are all "sick"...sick with the disease of sin.  The only ones that do not need healing from the Great Physician are those that refuse to believe they need to be healed. 

God has given me such a great task, but a task that I take with the most humility.  I have always been what some would call a little "full of myself".  I would tend to disagree.  If I am being completely honest (and as a preacher I try to be) then I would have to say that I pretend a lot and joke around a lot, but the truth is, I know that ANYTHING good from me, is of Jesus living within me.  I get to teach people with this mission from above that God is there to provide rest and healing for the broken and "sick". 

Life sure has a way of getting to people.  You see it all the time in the news.  People are "sick" these days.  We live in a society that is filled with degenerates and depraved individuals.  There are those who suffer because of another's sicknesses.  Maybe they have actual sicknesses, as in physical afflictions.  Maybe, like most, they have spiritual ailments.  Which ever it might be, and usually it is both that we suffer from, Jesus is our response to those issues. 

I mean think about it.  If we were a people who did what God teaches...even if we would just simply do our best to do what God teaches in His word we would be better off as a people and as a nation and as a race.  Jesus said, "COME TO ME".  That is more than simply saying, "walk up to me".  It is saying, "trust in me"....it is as if to say, "I will be your refuge, I am your place of hiding, I am here to give you rest." 

Once I was "sick".  Literally and spiritually and in every sense of the word.  I had many physical issues and I was lost and enslaved to sin.  I didnt' know how sick I really was, until the day Jesus healed me and I found rest in Him.

Not everyone's story is the same as mine...but I am convinced that God heals everyone that would ask.  The Bible says, "if you seek...you will find......if you knock then the door will be opened"  Jesus says that if you ask anything in His name, the Father will give it to you.  On October 31, 2004 I asked God to give me rest, I asked God to forgive me of my sins, I asked God to enter into my life and void my heart of filth and sin and the burdens that I carried and I asked it, in Jesus' name.  And you want to know something?  I found rest!!  I was forgiven, I was set free of my sickness.  I have come to Jesus and found rest in Him.  I make it a point to return to Jesus everyday so that I can find true rest in the arms of my Savior.  A day without the peace of God is a day that is not worth living.

Jesus has restored to me the things that He wanted me to have all along, but in my sin, I allowed Satan to steal my joy, my peace, my hope and my rest.

This very moment as you read this, you may be struggling with these same issues.  Maybe you lack peace in your life.  Maybe you find that you feel burdened all the time and have no idea where to turn.  The pressures of this life won't seem to ease up.  Here is what you do:  Turn to the cross of Jesus Christ, put your trust in Him and allow your thoughts, your desires, your worries to melt into His.  You see the mystery of the Bible is that in order to live.....we must die.  Die to ourselves, let our wants, our sins, our worries...let who we are simply die.  Stop feeding them with bitterness, envy, strife and the lusts of the flesh.  When you starve something it dies.  So die to self and live in Christ.  That is what must be done in order to truly live....you must take what you have and cast it at the feet of Jesus and live for Him.  There really is no better way to live. 

I think we all need to be reminded of that sometimes.  No matter the circumstance, no matter who has wronged you...come, all you who are heavy with burdens.....come to Jesus, and He will give you rest.

The Bible says so....and that is as Dold sees it.

Be blessed,
GJD