What is brotherly love? One definition describes it as an urge to help someone, when we feel compassion for a stranger, neighbor, or friend. So what does having compassion require?  A demonstration of concern results in a visit, a hug, a prayer, or a written note whenever a tragedy, or misfortune occurs in the lives of another.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Think about that one powerful word from God ……. at length. Why would God love us sooooo much when we disregard Him so frequently to pursue our own interests? As we become more like Jesus, the Holy Spirit compels us to consider God and all that He has done for us.  We also begin to pray for one another because He first loved us.  “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14 When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others we are acting out of compassion. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34 The Bible is a book to be read with reverence. “All Scripture is God–breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Tim 3:16

As we choose to apply His Word into our daily life, we hold every thought captive and choose our words wisely. Taking the Word of God seriously does account for where we spend eternity.  “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” Matt 12:36 We are wise to think before we speak. Are we speaking whatever is true, lovely, or noble? All of God’s word is relevant. It is the truth, and it is full of wisdom and warnings. If these are the last days, what does that mean for you and me? No single individual, election, popular poll, or vote can change the will of God. It is time to examine our hearts and our experiences. Many people have heard about Jesus, they have studied the scriptures, but they do not obey His Word. Little white lies, gossiping, and pride separate us from God. We will be judged for every word we speak that does not honor God.  Have you ever identified that it was God who has kept you alive during the pandemic, the storm, the accident, the tragedy in your life? People have a tendency to look back and remember the time when they were hurt or when they got lost. What if we reflect back and journal about all that Jesus has done, how He never left us, and what lessons we gained through the trial? What if we took the time to write down all the blessings?  Job did not consider his suffering, he did however praise God.  Jesus said “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Job had it all and lost it all.  ‘Then Job replied to the Lord:  “I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.”  God asked, ‘Who is this that obscures My plans without knowledge?’  Job humbly replied “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”  I admit that I have judged things that I did not understand. God then said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer Me.’  Even after losing his kids and having his wife wish him dead, Job did not turn from God. Many of his friends  abandoned him, he lost all his money, and with sores all over his body, this humble, righteous man admitted ‘My ears had heard of God, but now my eyes have seen God.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job chapter 42  Have you ever been so captivated by the glory of the Lord — that while in the midst of personal loss, or in the downward spin of your tragedy, that with such high esteem of your Savior you raised your hand in praise? Our Father has prepared a room for us and the Groom will come for His bride.  We will feast together in His time, and while we wait, as we devour His Word, we come to know that God’s way, is not according to our preference. God’s Word is ageless, relevant, abiding, enduring, constant, immutable, unchangeable! By studying His Story we see Him throughout history! As we recognize Him, we are compelled from within to recognize the people God uses. NOT just those for what is good, but also those who are disruptive, irritating or unlikeable. God chooses who He chooses to do His will, for His purpose. He has chosen a wild assortment of people to cause a revival or a great deception. We are to be ruled by the Spirit, not by our emotions. We are to walk in the Spirit, listen to the Spirit and by our obedience to the Holy Spirit, regardless of our poverty of circumstance, we stand boldly and proclaim praises to the King of kings for His ways are marvelous to behold! “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them.” Revelation 21:1  We are reminded daily of God’s glory and we can see Him in action every time the sun rises and the ocean does not flood the earth. “When they see among them their children, the work of My hands, they will keep My name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” Isaiah 29:23  Our hope and authority comes from God and we are to take our position “in Christ” seriously. It is time for believers to NOT waver, wobble, compromise or deviate from God’s plan, purpose and will. It is by our testimony, by our words and our actions that salvation will come to the lost. “Avoiding evil is the highway of the upright; he who watches his step preserves his life.” Proverbs 16:17 CJB

God created all this for your pleasure. God created you for His pleasure!

“A wise hearted person is said to have discernment, and sweetness of speech adds to learning.” Proverbs 16:21 CJB  The way for increasing the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ is through revival. “It is the Almighty who lifts up kings to the throne and it is the Almighty who removes them.” People are not perfect, but God’s will is done through imperfect people. Kings are placed in office to destroy evil and prepare the way for good. We must PRAY for our leaders as we boldly take a stand for Jesus and be single minded. Christians we are to love one another, and welcome new believers with genuine encouragement! We are challenged to pray for our enemies and ask God to bless them with His grace, mercy and Holy Spirit.  We need to be held accountable church! We are not to gossip, or kill a man’s hope in Christ or his reputation. That is a sin to be confessed so that we can be holy as our Father is holy. We must be careful of what we post on social media because the lost, the empty, the broken people we know are watching. The world may be thinking why would I want to accept Christ and get criticized? Saul was used by God because his conversion was radical and God is still using the words of Paul today. PRAY do NOT judge God for His way of using sinners to do His will. We were not appointed and anointed to be the bouncers at the pearly gate. Let us NOT question God’s choice or His methods for spreading the gospel. We all have a Perfect Elder Brother who invites to come home. “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..” James 1:16-18 Our Father sets the table before us in the presence of our enemy! We were commissioned by the King of kings to speak His Word with authority and be His chosen vessels to stand firm, walk humbly and act justly in these final days.

The worship of any idol or person above God will lead us into deception. In our new life “in Him”, we live NOT according to our will, but that His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We are to give all honor and glory to God, who gives us our daily bread and protects us from all evil. The powerful parable of the prodigal son edifies us all in unexpected new ways! Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Lost Son

Our Lord gives wisdom, boldness and strength to those who ask. Why? So that we will speak the truth in love while we uphold His way with authority.  “I am the Light of the world.” We were given the Holy Spirit, His Light to shine on injustice and evil. Public testimony is powerful. “He who lives in us is greater than he who lives in the world.” Satan comes as a angel of light to deceive, destroy, and distract us from the pure Truth. The diligent Christian inspects the fruit of all who stand in public pulpits…presidents, preachers, evangelists, rock or hollywood stars so that we know how to pray for Gods will to be done on earth. FOLLOW JESUS and call on the Holy Spirit to convict you sharply for turning to the right or the left. We are His witnesses, we are not Red, Blue, Republicans or Democrats. Our citizenship is in heaven and while we are on earth, we are His peacemakers. The above youtube presents the two ways that people attempt to get control of all of our Father’s blessings. One way is to impose their findings of how they think the world should behave. Secondly, in their own strength, they comply with all the rules as they seek admiration for their strict moral conformity. God’s Way compels us all to lay our ways aside and come to know and emulate our Lord Jesus, the perfect Elder Brother not mentioned in the Prodigal Son parable.  God gives us an appropriate word to speak, at just the right moment. Our Father refines us all until He sees His reflection in us. Be alert, Be aware, Be vigilant as you kindly refrain from jumping onto the condemnation band wagon. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no revival. Man cannot dictate when revival will occur. Man cannot manipulate God into bringing revival based on our practices. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 God’s Word is clear, and the Holy Spirit gives us revelation, not man. Miracles, signs, wonders, healings are God’s way of bringing SALVATION to large communities. We are to test what we hear spoken from any person or pulpit!