26 August 2018
Two-Minute Features | 02 September 2018 | 19 August 2018

We Also Love Unbelivers, Shining Our Lights (TMF:965)

Friday, August 31, 2018
Peace to Live By: We Also Love Unbelivers, Shining Our Lights (TMF:965) - Daniel Litton
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       Each of us should live quiet lives, and we should keep our focus on our own lives, and not get into other people’s business when unwarranted or unneeded. Now, we do good for others in the body and help them, and we consider what is in the best interest for them. Paul also said, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, ESV). Also included in Paul’s “everyone” from the verse we just read is unbelievers. It is good for us to help unbelievers by guiding them toward Jesus. When people ask us for advice in this or that situation or about what the Bible says, we are to lead them in the right direction. We are to let our lights shine before others, and by this they will see our good works, and this causes them to look toward God. If we aren’t shining our lights in the first place, but have put our lamps underneath something, unbelievers wont even know we are followers of Christ and therefore we cannot help them (see Matthew 5:14-16, ESV). They will not seek us out.

We Love Each Other in the Body of Christ (TMF:964)

Thursday, August 30, 2018
Peace to Live By: We Love Each Other in the Body of Christ (TMF:964) - Daniel Litton
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       Lastly, we love God with all of our minds, which means what we are thinking about throughout the day. We eliminate incorrect and sinful thoughts, and we focus on ‘now’ and good things. We keep God at the forefront of our minds, and stay in continual conversation with him. For the second greatest commandment, that of loving our neighbors as ourselves, part of this includes loving those who are in the body of Christ, our fellow brothers and sisters in our church. Now, this can be accomplished in different ways, as we don’t all love each other in the same way. But God teaches us individually how to love one another (see (1 Thessalonians 4:9). Really, our love for one another works in connection with the spiritual gifts given to us from the Holy Spirit. Think of your gifts when thinking of how you should love others. And we don’t just love our fellow Christians belonging to our particular church, but we love others that are part of the body of Christ but that do not belong to our church. Nonetheless, love can be about what we do for others, and it can also be about what we do not do.

The Breakdown of How We are to Love God (TMF:963)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Peace to Live By: The Breakdown of How We are to Love God (TMF:963) - Daniel Litton
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       First, we love him with all our hearts, which means with our whole being, with every part of us. And so, we have surrendered all to him, and this makes him pleased and happy. It doesn’t mean we don’t have peace, happiness, and joy in our lives; it means that everything we do, we do it through Christ. Second, we love God with all of our souls. We are obedient to him in all areas of our lives—not just some of the parts of our lives. God’s Word is to have say in all areas, not just the areas we want Him to have say in. In other words, we keep God in perspective in everything we do. Third, we love God with all our strength which means we live in a way that shows love for God with good effort. We are not half-hearted or lazy in our love for God. We find time to spend with him daily; we read his Word daily. Lastly, we love God with all of our minds, which means what we are thinking about throughout the day.

We are to Love God & Love Our Neighbors (TMF:962)

Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Peace to Live By: We are to Love God & Love Our Neighbors (TMF:962) - Daniel Litton
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       We are to love God with our whole beings, and also love our neighbors as we already love ourselves. Mark recorded for us the following in Mark 12, starting in verse 29: Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31 ESV). So, the most important person in our lives is God. First, we love him with all our hearts, which means with our whole being, with every part of us. And so, we have surrendered all to him, and this makes him pleased and happy. It doesn’t mean we don’t have peace, happiness, and joy in our lives; it means that everything we do, we do it through Christ. Second, we love God with all of our souls. We are obedient to him in all areas of our lives—not just some of the parts of our lives.

Love is the Most Excellent Way We Can Live (TMF:961)

Monday, August 27, 2018
Peace to Live By: Love is the Most Excellent Way We Can Live (TMF:961) - Daniel Litton
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       So, the first Fruit of the Spirit we are looking at is love. Love is foundational to all of our actions. We are to do all things that we do in life through an attitude to love. Paul told us the most excellent way we could live life is doing all things through love, and this is no matter what we do (see 1 Corinthians 13). Any work for the Lord we are doing day-to-day, any ability God has given us, any step of faith that we take, all is to be done through love. Even sacrifice in our lives needs to have love in it. Legalism and asceticism are not part a proper equation for us. If we live like monks, we aren’t exercising love in our lives. Without doing things through love, we really do not get anything out of life, and others around us just aren’t helped. Love is greater for us than any faith that we have, and even greater than our hopes for ourselves and others for the future.