Quote from Forum Archives on January 9, 2001, 8:55 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Being a long time music buff, I can't resist:

If somebody loves you, it's no good unless he loves you...
All the way!

Those were the words of an old singer, the late Frank Sinatra.
In his early days, before his lifestyle destroyed his voice, he
had one of the most wonderful male baritone voices I've ever
heard, and a wonderful musical style, and he played the shy guy
in many old movies, along with Gene Kelly.

Unfortunately, I don't know if Frank ever really understood what
love is about, or how to love somebody "All the way" - if he ever
figured it out, it took several tries.

The message that follows, however, is about growing in the
likeness of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the One who truly
understands what it is like to love "All the way". Being God, He
has everything, He knows everything, and He created everything.
In spite of all of that wonder and greatness, He sacrificed every
power and authority that He had, in order to completely
demonstrate His great love for us.

Why do I keep coming back to this, over and over again? Well,
for one thing, it never ceases to amaze me. For another thing, I
believe it is crucial for us, especially those of us who are
battling with relationship difficulties, to appreciate what
Christ has done for us, and how to understand what a difference
it can make for each one of us. For He has freed us from the
guilt and shame of our ways, even our deepest, darkest, worst
errors. We are deeply loved, fully accepted, and completely
forgiven. Unless we realize to what extent Jesus went in order
to demonstrate that to us, we might fail to accept His gift to
us. Our failure to recognize Him, embrace Him, and fully accept
His gift is the one thing that will keep us from knowing Him.
When we come to know Him, appreciate Him, and love Him, His
Spirit comes upon us, and affects our lives.

At that point, we become completely new creations, able to do,
because of Him, things never before possible. We can let go of
hurts, we can forgive others, we can be at peace with God and
with one another.

Aren't those great gifts? Then we can sing with Frank (but
identify with Jesus) when we say:

When somebody loves you its no good unless He loves you...
All the way!

Brother Brian

From: "ChristianNet" <admin@christiannet.org>
Subject: [WFT] Tue 09 Jan 01 - All the way!

WORD FOR TODAY with Bob Gass - Tuesday 9th January 2001

All the way!

"...AS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WORKS WITHIN US, WE BECOME MORE AND
MORE LIKE HIM?"

2 CORINTHIANS 3:18

We all enjoy the blessings of change; what we hate is the
process. First, we form our habits; then our habits form us.
Before we know it, we see the world only from our own
perspective. When that happens, we begin to stagnate. Sound
familiar? Without change, there's no growth. But if you have the
right attitude, every change, whether positive or negative, will
be a growing experience. It's up to you!

Consider this: trees need more than one season to produce fruit.
Rainy seasons are growing seasons, too, which always come before
harvest. You don't have to like the rain; you just have to
understand its purpose.

Now, the Bible says we're all being changed into His likeness (2
Cor 3:18). But to be like Jesus, you have to follow wherever He
leads. That means following Him through the wilderness of
temptation, the pain of rejection, the forfeiting of your
reputation, the complete surrender of your will to God and,
finally, to the place of crucifixion. There's no other way! To
walk with Him means you'll be in a different place tomorrow from
where you are today. The question is: are you willing to follow
Him all the way? Take a moment and consider your answer, for it
will determine your destiny.

(c) Bob Gass Ministries 2001 (used by permission)

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