“Let us note that our Lord does not name gifts or miracles or intellectual attainments as the evidence of discipleship, but love, the simple grace of love, a grace within reach of the poorest, lowliest believer, as the evidence of discipleship. If we have no love, we have no grace, no regeneration, no true Christianity..."
~Pastor JC Ryle, 1816 - 1900
I love the preaching of Pastor JC Ryle. There are few pastors today that speak the truth like Pastor Ryle did. Praise God for men of faith who have gone before us and took a stand for Jesus and bore record of Christ's love by living a life of love.
Hebrews 13:1-3 says this: Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
Remember, we are all in this life together...! Unless we esteem others as more important than ourselves we are not living true Christianity. And this 'esteeming' has got to begin in our own homes within our own families, first! In this day and age we must be cautious, but we can not and should not turn a blind eye to those in need. I believe every encounter is a divine encounter. Every encounter is another opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to a dark world that is desperately in need of truth and light.
But watch out for this warning Christ gave his disciples and all believers:
...Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. ~Matthew 24: 4-14
Friends, I
believe we are witnessing some of the prophesies of Matthew 24 taking place before
our very eyes. I honestly can not believe the changes I am witnessing in America
and the world here in my life time. There is truly a GREAT diminishing
of 'brotherly love' in the world. I would dare say the 'love of many IS waxing cold'.
'...But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved...'
Friends, I am calling you to 'ENDURE'. Take a stand for the Truth. But to know the ''TRUTH' you have got to be in the holy word of God every day. And don't just listen to a preacher preach, be in the word YOURSELF. Daddies and Mommies: Read God's Holy Word to your children. Have them read it out loud.
Instead of 'family TV time' every night watching your favorite sitcom or drama, how about 30 minutes of 'Word of God and family prayer time', first...? Is 30 minutes a day, every day asking too much...?
There's 24 hours in every day. Can't we give even a little of that time back to the Lord...?
Brotherly Love. It starts at home. Our family is our FIRST ministry.
Heavenly Father,
Help us to stand for You in these dark and perilous times. Lord I lift up mommies and daddies that I know and love. Bless them and their example to their children. Father God give us all a hunger and thirst for your precious holy word. Lord let no man deceive us. Guard us and protect us from temptation.
Preserve our witness, Lord. Oh let brotherly love continue in our time. Strengthen us, help us to endure. We love you, Lord. And we thank You and praise You.
In the precious name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior,
Amen.
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