Above the Sun: You can know and show God’s love

by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 9, 2020

            For many generations, people have misunderstood what it means to love and be loved the way God intended. It was an issue even in the first century, and the apostle Paul quite a lot on this topic. Last week, we looked at the fact that it does no good to portray any of the other good qualities God wants us to live out in our lives such as faith, joy, kindness, and self-control if we do not have love. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Paul goes further in explaining what love should and should not look like. 

            “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

            The day will come when we no longer need faith or hope because we will be in the presence of God!  Being in God’s presence is also the reason love will always be there, because God is love. Thankfully, we do not have to wait until we get to heaven to experience the joys made possible because of love.

            Taking a closer look at the above passage, Paul is saying we can demonstrate the kind of love God expects from us by seeking one another’s highest good instead of being self-seeking. When Paul speaks of not being easily angered, he may be thinking back to his earlier days when he thought he was in the right by persecuting Christians. Imagine how thankful he was as time passed and the same Christians who lived in fear of Paul now welcomed him and chose to forget Paul’s wrongs. He knows how good it feels to experience love in that way, and he wants this attitude of forgiveness to prevail everywhere.

            Paul’s letter also contrasts love and deception when he says love rejoices with the truth. Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44), often sets traps meant to confuse people about the true meaning of love. But God’s truth stands firm and gives His children something to rejoice in!  It is God’s LOVE and the fact that we can place our hope and trust in it. We can be assured that God has been pursuing us for a very long time. But we can only experience His love to the fullest by submitting to the truths found in His word. In this way, we will not only know God’s love, but we will also show God’s love to others.  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Love is the most valuable thing

by Barrett Vanlandingham
February 2, 2020

            You only need to step inside any retail store to be informed immediately on what is the biggest event of this month. Red and pink valentine cards, candies, stuffed animals, and flowers everywhere!

            Despite the tremendous amount of love shown towards all things football, and in particular tonight’s Superbowl, it is actually Valentine’s Day that has people reaching for their wallets the most to the tune of 20-billion dollars compared to just under 15-billion for the Superbowl. There’s no doubt about it, February is the month when most people think about what it means to love and be loved by the special people in their lives.

            Love is the most popular element of the fruit of the Spirit we are to apply to our lives. The apostle Paul mentions it first in his letter to Christians in Galatia (Galatians 5:22-23) probably because Jesus puts it at the top of His list of most important commands: Love God, love others (Mark 12:30-31). Without love, none of the other good qualities of God’s Holy Spirit would even be possible. Love has to come first.

            “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 13:13).

            It just seems like if you could actually move a mountain based on the amount of faith you have, that would put you in a category of elite to say the least. But Paul says even having that ability would not make you special in the least in the absence of your willingness to love God and love others. The biblical love we are to strive for is the kind that puts the good of others above our wants, instead of making decisions based on only what we get out of it.

            Can you imagine what life would be like if God gave us what we deserved everyday instead of giving us multiple second chances? God continually shows us the greatest example of true love. He really does look out for our best interest. He wants more than anything for us to join Him in heaven someday. And so, He continues to amaze us with the kind of love that will motivate us to love Him and love others in the same kind of selfless ways He has shown us. When we model this kind of love to those in our circles of influence, more people are drawn closer to Jesus, and the changes in our communities and beyond will be seen and felt by all.  Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Patience is not easy, but necessary

by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 26, 2020

            Recently, I was behind another car as we approached a green light. My patience was tested when the car in front of me abruptly slowed down in anticipation of a yellow light just as I was speeding up. Well, I had to throw on my brakes and stop behind the car even though I felt we both could have made it through without breaking any laws. We all face tests daily in regard to our patience.

            I confess that even though patience is a fruit of the Spirit, it is has never been one of my strong suits. Nevertheless, it is a quality that characterizes God’s Holy Spirit, and is also one of the qualities that Christians are supposed to apply to our lives.

            The apostle Paul said, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Yes, keeping in step with the Spirit means patience must be practiced just like love, joy, peace, and so on.

            Paul told the Ephesian Christians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1–3).  He told Christians in Colossae to use patience while resolving conflict.  He told Timothy that Christian leaders should patiently endure evil, and correct opponents with gentleness (2 Tim 2:24-25).

            The Christian’s patience is rooted in knowing that God will eventually bring all things to an end so that God’s glory is fully known by all. Our practice of patience should also be strengthened when we remind ourselves that we are all sinners redeemed by God’s grace. We must realize the soul of the person we are frustrated with may be the exact location where God is working. That’s another reason why Christians are instructed to leave room for God’s vengeance instead of trying to get back at someone.

            God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all one and so are their spiritual qualities. Jesus modeled these qualities including patience under the toughest of circumstances. It is hard to imagine the amount of patience it took for Jesus to allow himself to be doubted, scoffed at, and tortured, all the while knowing he could have stopped it at any time. The experiences Jesus went through while he was on earth give us confidence that he truly understands what we go through. Finally, Jesus knows what we are capable of accomplishing when we choose to walk with the Spirit as he did. Have a great week!

Above the Sun: Peace to you

by Barrett Vanlandingham
January 19, 2020

            It’s only been a month since much of the world was focused on the birth of Jesus, the Christ child. Even though that was an incredibly awesome day in history (to say the least), so much more has happened since that time. Today, I want to write about a single word that was foretold by the angels that very day.
            "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14).
            Peace! How ironic it is that the One who left His own home in heaven, and allowed himself to be humiliated, beaten, and crucified is the only One who could bring true peace to a broken world. As with any gift, you can choose to accept it, or reject it. Thinking of it that way helps explain Jesus’ words in Matthew 10.
            “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:32-34).
            At first glance, you might think these two Bible passages are at odds with each other since one indicates the coming of peace, and the other appearing to saying the opposite. A closer look reveals the two fit perfectly. The angels’ proclamation of peace is true for those who are favored by God. Who are the favored? Jesus answers that in the Matthew 10 passage and following. He explains that people will have free will to make one of two choices: Jesus or the world. Those who choose Jesus will find peace because that is where God’s favor rests, in His son. Those who go against Him by choosing worldly happiness, relationships, friends, or even family will lose their life (or heavenly reward).

            It is hard sometimes to stay the heavenly course, especially when we have a loved one who has strayed from God’s will, to pursue a counterfeit peace. We are stressed and our peace feels threatened. Satan uses this scenario to his advantage. He tries to convince us that if we just leave truth behind, maybe even temporarily, we can appear more real or relatable, and have a better chance at pulling someone out of sin. This is the kind of deception we should expect from Satan, the father of lies. The dark path will not lead anyone to God and will not bring about peace. It will only bring about more confusion for you and your loved one as Satan’s grip tightens.

            There is only one way to find everlasting peace, and that is through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Stay true to Him in your own life and in the advice you give to others, and let God do the rest. Have a great week!