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Love Versus Duty The following is from Terry McGovern in response to some of my questions and statements from my thread on Love Contrasted With Duty (I hope he will not mind me posting it here) : I would like to give an illustration as to love versus duty. I think you have already come to some good conclusion as I have read through these posts, but I hope this helps. Before I give the illustration let me make a few points. First we know from scripture those who say they "love" God yet do not obey him, are deceiving themselves. Love shows itself by action, and it is a motivation. I Corinthians 13 is one of my favorite chapters. This chapter stresses the importance of love being the motivation. Many can be "serving" God, yet, if love is not the motivation, it is for nothing. I believe love does produce feelings and it is almost impossible to separate love from feeling. I do not believe love is a feeling, but that it involves our feelings. Sometimes love make me sad, ...

Love - The Motivating Factor Have you ever noticed how whenever something opens up to you in Scripture - perhaps the Holy Spirit is working on you in a certain area, or maybe you just learned something really significant - and then suddenly you see it everywhere in God's Word? You read some godly material, and it's there. No matter where you look in the Bible, you see it there. In the last couple of months I have been meditating on what Scriptural love is - what the difference is between serving out of love and duty, asking some questions, bouncing some thoughts off of other godly Christians - and realizing how far I really fall short in this area (though not as far short as I was as little as a couple of months ago BEFORE God started working on me!) - wanting to make sure I serve the Lord in a manner that is pleasing to Him, wanting to make sure that I have compassion and strive to make a difference in the lives of others because of love, and not just out of duty (ie. I know I...

Mount Sinai And Mount Zion Contrasted The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians by Oliver B. Greene is an excellent commentary. In chapter 10, Greene presents various contrasts between Law and Grace , which is well worth reading (I have been blessed by the whole book so far). This reminded me of a contrast I had noticed in Scripture recently as well - the difference between two mountains in Scripture: Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. Notice there are seven things mentioned about each of these mountains, which reveal the characteristics of each: Hebrews 12:18-21 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched (1), and that burned with fire (2), nor unto blackness (3), and darkness (4), and tempest (5), And the sound of a trumpet (6), and the voice of words (7); which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thru...

My Mom went home to be with the Lord on September 22nd, 2005. This is her first Mother's Day In Heaven. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be encouraged or comforted by it. Thank you. Mother’s Day In Heaven It’s your first Mother’s Day in Heaven – I'm so thankful that you're not alone; As you behold the face of our Saviour, And are blessed to worship at His throne. Mom, I would love to send you flowers, Though their fading glory could not compare To the beautiful sights and sounds of Heaven, And your very own mansion over there. I never thought so much about Heaven, As I have since you’ve gone home to that place – Oh Mom, I miss you so very much, And I long to see your precious face. You see, this earthly home now seems more empty – Its glitter and glamour can no more impress; For Heaven is the place of God’s truest riches – Where our Father only keeps the best! Since you turned and trusted in the Saviour, An amazing change has taken place; Dwelling in the presenc...

Kingly Lessons - None Like These (Or Lessons From The Kings) No doubt there are many lessons we can learn from the kings of Israel and Judah: from their examples, we can learn what to do to please the Lord and what not to do. We can see which kings God honoured and why, and which kings He was against and why. Two verses that I have always been blessed by (and likewise been encouraged/exhorted by) are regarding two different kings of Judah: King Hezekiah - 2 Kings 18:5-7a He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth. No king had ever trusted the Lord God quite like King Hezekiah did - he followed the Lord and clung to Him, turning to Him anytime he was faced with difficulties in his life and reign. He trust...

The Lord Would Not Repent One word that I have been blessed with tracing throughout the Bible is the word repent and forms thereof. The main Greek word ( metanoeo ) used for " repent" in the New Testament means "to change one's mind" - and the Scriptural usage of this English word is "a change of mind resulting in a change of conduct." This can be verified through studying out each passage where this word is used. There are several good books that take an in-depth look at this word throughout the Scriptures, and I highly recommend reading both: Repentance And Soulwinning (previously entitled, Repentance Is More Than A Sinner's Prayer ) by David Cloud (which can be ordered through Way Of Life Literature - this book also quotes extensively from oldtime preachers, to show what they believed and preached on this important subject, especially as it relates to salvation ); and Except Ye Repent by Harry Ironside (can possibly be found online or as an...

The Glory Of The New Testament (Covenant) - Part 2 This is a continuation of the devotional study that was posted yesterday, Without Blemish In Christ - Part 1 . Please read that first. For the context of this study, please read Exodus 33-34, as I will not be able to quote it all here. Exodus 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. The first stone tables (tablets) were broken by Moses, and here we see the Lord commanding him to hew out two more tablets to replace the broken ones. Then Moses was told to bring the tablets up with him to the top of Mount Sinai. There the Lord revealed Himself to Moses: Exodus 34:5-7 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD . And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness...