BBD 02.13.15 Loving Others (Classic)

#1 · February 13, 2015, 1:48 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 13, 2015, 1:48 pm
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 www.theburningbush.net for the
“Devotional of the Day” and read the devotional there.

The New Pastor's
Training Manual is now available for download on Amazon. You can READ for
FREE a LARGE SAMPLE (approx. 17 pages) which includes how God worked in my life
to Call me to Preach and other material. Click on the “Look Inside Link.” If
you do buy the 216 page eBook for $3 (Within 24 to 48 hours the price is being
reduced to $0.99, FREE if you have KINDLE UNLIMITED.) please write a review.
Thanks! 30 eBooks have now been downloaded. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1ufa1ov If you prefer a paper
copy of the book you can order it from the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

The Burning
Bush Devotional

Classic
from 2009

02.13.15

Loving
Others

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son
Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps
His commandments abides in Him, and He in him, and by this we know that He
abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. - 1 John 3:23-24 NKJV.

It happened in Debary, Florida about ten years ago. Drivers could see her as
they drove by. She seemed to be stuck in the mud. As you would expect there was
so much concern that it tied up traffic for miles. They called the police
wanting something done. Monday commuters were again looking for her to see if
she was still trapped by the mud, or was she okay now? There was so much
concern that again traffic was tied up, and backed up for miles. The Florida Transportation Department knew something had to be done. They put up an electronic
flashing sign to communicate to all of those concerned drivers the following, “The Cow is Okay.”

We have to wonder if it had been a human being, would there have been the same
amount of concern? Now God is concerned about cattle (Jonah 4:11), but they are not made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Our concern for
animals, and disdain for humans, may come from our experience with them. There
is usually a good reason when an animal attacks and few of us have been on the
receiving end. I have been chased by a cow, but most people in Florida have
probably not had the experience. However, nearly all of us have been on the
receiving end of verbal or physical attacks from other humans.

I believe there is something in us that wants to show concern, that wants be kind,
which wants to love. It is because we were made in the image of God and God is
love as the apostle John tells us, “He who does
not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8).” It may be difficult (It was difficult for Jonah and
that's why he ended up in the belly of the great fish.), but it is God’s will
and His command for us to be kind to each other and to love each other. We are
even to love our enemies, and we know that Jonah had trouble loving those
wicked Ninevites. Jesus says, “But I say to
you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may
be sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45a).” We will never really be able to experience love until we
begin to love each other.

The next time we see someone stuck in the mud, let us give them some help
demonstrating that we are truly made in the image of God, and that we are the
sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and
in truth (1 John 3:18).”

Copyright © 2009-2015. 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
these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites
received visits from 184 countries in 2015 including from 27 cities in Iran.
Celebrating 16 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.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top left hand corner of all of the pages.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace
and love. Please pray for Justin Lewis who is battling cancer. He is a young
Christian man with a wife and two children. Unless God intervenes there is
little hope for him. Please also pray for Shane Hall who has cancer and for all
those afflicted with this terrible disease. My sister, Reta, is also in need of
prayer, she has stage four renal carcinoma and will have surgery soon to remove
a kidney. 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.).

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

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 New Pastor's
Training Manual is now available for download on Amazon. You can READ for
FREE a LARGE SAMPLE (approx. 17 pages) which includes how God worked in my life
to Call me to Preach and other material. Click on the “Look Inside Link.” If
you do buy the 216 page eBook for $3 (Within 24 to 48 hours the price is being
reduced to $0.99, FREE if you have KINDLE UNLIMITED.) please write a review.
Thanks! 30 eBooks have now been downloaded. Here is the link: http://amzn.to/1ufa1ov If you prefer a paper
copy of the book you can order it from the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

The Burning
Bush Devotional

Classic
from 2009

02.13.15

Loving
Others

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son
Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps
His commandments abides in Him, and He in him, and by this we know that He
abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. - 1 John 3:23-24 NKJV.

It happened in Debary, Florida about ten years ago. Drivers could see her as
they drove by. She seemed to be stuck in the mud. As you would expect there was
so much concern that it tied up traffic for miles. They called the police
wanting something done. Monday commuters were again looking for her to see if
she was still trapped by the mud, or was she okay now? There was so much
concern that again traffic was tied up, and backed up for miles. The Florida Transportation Department knew something had to be done. They put up an electronic
flashing sign to communicate to all of those concerned drivers the following, “The Cow is Okay.”

We have to wonder if it had been a human being, would there have been the same
amount of concern? Now God is concerned about cattle (Jonah 4:11), but they are not made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Our concern for
animals, and disdain for humans, may come from our experience with them. There
is usually a good reason when an animal attacks and few of us have been on the
receiving end. I have been chased by a cow, but most people in Florida have
probably not had the experience. However, nearly all of us have been on the
receiving end of verbal or physical attacks from other humans.

I believe there is something in us that wants to show concern, that wants be kind,
which wants to love. It is because we were made in the image of God and God is
love as the apostle John tells us, “He who does
not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8).” It may be difficult (It was difficult for Jonah and
that's why he ended up in the belly of the great fish.), but it is God’s will
and His command for us to be kind to each other and to love each other. We are
even to love our enemies, and we know that Jonah had trouble loving those
wicked Ninevites. Jesus says, “But I say to
you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may
be sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45a).” We will never really be able to experience love until we
begin to love each other.

The next time we see someone stuck in the mud, let us give them some help
demonstrating that we are truly made in the image of God, and that we are the
sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and
in truth (1 John 3:18).”

Copyright © 2009-2015. 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
these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites
received visits from 184 countries in 2015 including from 27 cities in Iran.
Celebrating 16 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.

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 left hand corner of all of the pages.

Ed Wrather has retired from
pastoring full-time and has more time to pursue other ministry opportunities.
You can make contact at edwrather@yahoo.com or
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

Prayer Requests: Please pray for
an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace
and love. Please pray for Justin Lewis who is battling cancer. He is a young
Christian man with a wife and two children. Unless God intervenes there is
little hope for him. Please also pray for Shane Hall who has cancer and for all
those afflicted with this terrible disease. My sister, Reta, is also in need of
prayer, she has stage four renal carcinoma and will have surgery soon to remove
a kidney. 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.).

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