BBD 02.08.16 I Believe in Love (New)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
If for
some reason you do not receive your email version of the devotional please
check the Burning Bush website at http://www.theburningbush.net for the
“Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional there.
The Burning
Bush Devotional
02.08.16
I Believe in Love
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not
love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the
gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I
have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am
nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give
my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. - 1 Corinthians
13:1-3 NKJV.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of
these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - 1 John
4:8 NKJV.
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is
love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16
NKJV.
I
confess, I watched the Super Bowl last night including the half-time show. I
watched as dancers gyrated on a stage in the shape of a cross. In the stadium
seats the words were spelled out “I Believe in Love.” The love being exhibited
on the Super Bowl stage appeared to me to be a sacrilegious everything goes
kind of love being offered on a worldly altar.
The
Super Bowl half-time show reminded me of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32.
While Moses was on the Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God, the people down
below, had turned away from the One true God. An idol was made, which the
people worshipped instead of the true God. But it was worse than that. Aaron
made the gold calf and an altar. “Then they rose early
on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the
people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (Exodus 32:6).”
The word “play” indicates unrestrained sexual immorality
as Exodus 32:25 says, “When
Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them,
to their shame among their enemies).” The Super Bowl half-time show
appeared to portray a modern version of the incident; although muted somewhat,
in order to be broadcast into our homes.
I believe in love, but not the kind of love portrayed by
the Super Bowl half-time show. I believe in the kind of love defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love
does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” The
love of 1 Corinthians 13 is further defined by 1 John 4:8 and 16, “God is love.” I believe in the God
of love who “so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life (John 3:16).” I believe in the God of love who “demonstrates His own love toward us, in that we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”
Let us reject the worldly Super Bowl
half-time definition of love; and instead, embrace true love from the only true
God, who gave Himself to save us from our sins. “For
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit
(1 Peter 3:18).”
Reject the world, and embrace the God of true
love!
Copyright © 2016. Ed Wrather. The
Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998
the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather
began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Ed Wrather is now the pastor of
Calvary Baptist Church of Cordell, Oklahoma. Please pray for this church.
Visit the
Burning Bush websites:
The Burning Bush websites have received
visits from 184 countries in 2014 including from 27 cities in Iran. Celebrating
17 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.
The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM
The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk
You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.
There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.
Please continue to pray for
Michelle, Justin Lewis, Shane Hall, Reta (my sister), and Beverly (Jeanie’s
sister). Please add to your prayer list: Max Boothe, Gary Jones and Zelma
Rothenberger who are recovering from surgeries. Also, Nathan Reed, Brent Baker,
and Tommy Merrell.
Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of
prayer - please pray for me.).
You can contact Ed Wrather at edwrather@yahoo.com or
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105
If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org
There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.
Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.
You can unsubscribe to the
burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
You may subscribe to the html
text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now
in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org
and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.
If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org