Where love reaches its completion

"The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves.

"The door to the human heart can be opened only from the inside . . . Out of biology, anthropology, sociology, history, economics, psychology, the plain common sense is--the necessary mandate of survival is that we love our neighbors as ourselves."

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Always remember, our ambassadorship is INSIDE of us living out THROUGH us. It can NEVER be carried on by our outward man, says Richard Jordan.

Because there isn’t any kingdom to bring in, God dumps all of this stuff on us upfront so that right now we can get used to operating in it, working in it, living in it. We’re operating in His mind and thinking, so that when we get to heaven, we’ll be ready to get on with the program.

Where obedience exists, it’s the completion and perfection of love. Love reaches its completion, it’s filling up, by being obedient to the will of God. Love is never complete without obedience.

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The thing God is most concerned about for you is freedom. That’s what faith is all about. Faith is the ability for you to have the absolute complete freedom in your inner person to do exactly what you choose to do. Without that personal privacy, you can’t make a free choice and God loves freedom. He loved it so much He was willing to risk it—risk His whole plan in creation by giving you freedom.

You know what He wants from you? Your trust. He wants you to believe Him; to rely on Him.

The whole problem with Adam and Eve is they came to the place where they didn’t trust God. As Genesis 3:22 says, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:"

They didn’t know good and evil because they were TRUSTING God to know it! But they no longer trusted God’s Word about it.

God wants you to rely on Him. That’s why Paul says, [28] Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Romans 16:25 says, "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began."

It’s HE who has to be related to! You see the relationship is to Him; I’ve got a relationship with HIM!

Galatians 4:19 says, [19] My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

What’s Paul want to live in you? Roman 4:16 says, [16] Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; 

The dependence is to be on who God has made you in Christ. That is, your TOTAL dependence is to be on Him—that’s what faith is all about!

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Paul warns in Colossians 2:8, [8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Truth in the Bible is reality and you’ve got the ONE PERSON who IS the truth. What is the source of ultimate reality?

Paul says, "We look at things not seen because things seen are temporal" They’re not what’s real. The things that are NOT seen are eternal. How do you get in touch with that? The only way is by faith. But you have to have faith in what ultimate reality is and that’s who Jesus Christ is.

That’s why it’s not a thing and a theology and something you’re doing. It’s something outside of you—it’s in a PERSON. It’s in God HIMSELF. And when God stepped out of heaven and took upon Himself humanity in the person of Jesus Christ . . . when the eternal God become the God-man in the man Christ Jesus He gave you the ability to reach out and make God tangible and get a hold of Him and He’s the BRIDGE.

Paul’s favorite subject was the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word in the Bible is called edification. It’s building up that doctrine in your understanding that really is the mind of Christ. If you want to know somebody, you really need to know their mind, don’t you?

You know, you can’t look at somebody and tell what they’re thinking. I know you think you can, but you really can’t. Until a person speaks their mind, you don’t know their mind. You have the mind of Christ. If you’re going to know a person, that’s how you know him/her.

I Corinthians 2:15-16 says, [15] But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
[16] For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

How do you have the mind of Christ? It’s in His Word. Paul says it is "God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." How does He work in you to will and do His good pleasure? By having Christ be formed in you.

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Seth Sykes was a tram conductor in the U.K. who resigned in 1929 so that he and his wife, Bessie, could travel to mission churches with their barrel organ, singing and preaching, telling Bible stories with lantern slides.

Seth wrote the lyrics to the hymns while Bessie wrote the music. The 1940 song, Thank You Lord, was created by the couple while they were traveling by railway carriage between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

1)   Some thank the Lord for friends and home,

For mercies sure and sweet;

But I would praise Him for His grace

In prayer I would repeat:

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,

Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;

Thank you, Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free.

(2)   Some thank Him for the flow'rs that grow,

Some for the stars that shine;

My heart is filled with joy and praise,

Because I know He's mine.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,

Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;

Thank you, Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free.

(3)    I trust in Him from day to day,

I prove His saving grace;

I'll sing this song of praise to Him

Until I see His face. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,

Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;

Thank you, Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so rich and free.