*#2 UNDERSTANDING LOVE? SOME HAVE COMPASSION
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
IF SOME HAVE COMPASSION--- IT MUST MEAN SOME DO NOT?
REAL LOVE IS VERY HARD TO DEFINE WITH WORDS...
TO BE HONEST, WORDS CAN NEVER TELL THE MEANING OF LOVE...
Webster defines love as:
1. a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person.
2. the strong affection felt by people.
3. a strong affection arising out of kinship or personal ties.
4. tenderness felt lovers.
5. the assurance of affection.
6. warm attachment, devotion, or admiration.
7. unselfish loyal concern
IN MY OPINION LOVE COULD NEVER BE DEFINED BY WORDS.
LOVE CAN NOT BE SEEN BY EYESIGHT...
I asked someone could you see love?
They said: Yes! You can see love.
I asked: WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE?
You can not see love, YOU CAN SEE THE EFFECTS OF LOVE...
YOU CAN GIVE AND NOT LOVE...
BUT YOU CAN NEVER LOVE WITHOUT GIVING... (sacrifice)
DO WE LOVE WHAT GOD LOVES? IS OUR VALUE SYSTEM GOD'S?
WE TEND TO SCRATCH WHERE THE ITCH IS...
THERE IS A PURE, UNDEFILED MINISTRY...
WHERE THERE IS LOVE THERE IS UNITY AND ACCEPTANCE OF DIFFERENCES.
WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD IN THE MINISTRY OF LOVE?
We have many performing great task of trophies and applause.
We are professionals at ENTERTAINMENT and BUDGETS and NUMBERS...
We need all those things, but we CAN MISS WHAT GOD VALUES?
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
We can spend great hours in our offices polishing our skills.
That is great! But we must VALUE WHAT GOD VALUES...
Did the good shepherd leave the 99 for 1?
Do we go after the one dying in the bushes...
Have you ever seen people in love with themselves,
that publicly brag about their fasting..
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance:
for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash
thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret:
and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
THERE IS A LOVE THAT DEFIES LOGIC... GOD LOVE SEEKS NOT ---
Ian Pitt-Watkins adapted a portion from "A PRIMER FOR PREACHERS" ---
There is a natural, logical kind of loving that loves lovely things and lovely people.
That's logical.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER KIND OF LOVING THAT DOESN'T LOOK FOR VALUE
IN WHAT IT LOVES, BUT THAT "CREATES" VALUE IN WHAT IT LOVES.
Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted. 12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner
or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich
neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
GOD'S LOVE COMES TO US AS A PACKAGE DEAL...
I CAN SAY, I REALLY LOVE GOD, I JUST CAN NOT LOVE PEOPLE!!!
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that
loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath
not seen?
1 John 4:20 (NLT) If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister,
that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God,
whom we cannot see?
IAN PITT-WATSON TELLS THE STORY OF HER YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, ROSEMARY.
Her daughter was 3 years old when she was given A LITTLE RAG DOLL.
This little girl loved her RAG DOLL so much. She carried the doll all day and
slept with the RAG DOLL at night. This girl had many more expensive toys,
but she loved her RAG DOLL THE MOST.
Rosemary played with the rag doll until it got very dirty.
The RAG DOLL became more a RAG than A DOLL.
They would try to trade her out of this rag doll. She refused.
They TRYED TO WASH THE DOLL, the dirtier the doll became---
The more the girl loved her RAG DOLL.
If they did not clean the doll, the dirt just seemed more and more.
LOVE MIGHT TRY TO FORCE THE GIRL AND SAY THROW THE RAG DOLL
AWAY...
BUT ANYONE THAT LOVED ROSEMARY --- KNEW HOW ROSEMARY LOVED
THE DOLL. IF YOU LOVED ROSEMARY ---YOU LOVED THE RAG DOLL.
THE RAG DOLL WAS PART OF ROSEMARY... THE ISSUE WAS NOT THE
LITTLE GIRL AND A DIRTY DOLL ---
THE ISSUE WAS LOVE --- THOSE THAT LOVED ROSEMARY LOVED HER DOLL...
SO IF WE REALLY LOVE GOD ---
WE MUST UNDERSTAND: GOD LOVES PEOPLE ---
IF YOU LOVE GOD YOU MUST LOVE PEOPLE ---
YOU MAY SAY YOU LOVE GOD BUT YOU HATE SOMEONE ---
GOD SAYS: YOU ARE A LIAR TO CLAIM TO LOVE ME AND NOT LOVE WHAT
I LOVE...
LOVE OTHERS --- LOVE YOUR FAMILY --- LOVE YOURSELF... LOVE GOD...
IF REAL LOVE IS ABOUT SACRIFICE...
MANY SAY: I WOULD DIE FOR JESUS, BUT I JUST CAN'T LIVE FOR HIM... ???
DON RATZLAFF WROTE A STORY IN "THE CHRISTIAN LEADER" that Vernon Grounds
had read in "MIRACLE ON THE RIVER KWAI" WRITTEN BY ERNEST GORDON.
The Scottish soldiers were capture by the Japanese Forces.
The soldiers from Japan and been called upon to build a railroad through the jungle.
The Japanese officers use the forced labor of the Scottish prisoners.
Over time, the treatment of the Scottish prisoners became very mean and cruel.
As the Scottish soldiers were treated in barbarous conditions.
ONE DAY AT TOOL CHECK A SHOVEL CAME UP MISSING.
The Japanese Commander became very angry and DEMANDED TO KNOW WHO
HAD TAKEN THE MISSING SHOVEL?
The officer demanded: WHOEVER TOOK THE SHOVEL COME FORWARD
OR HE WOULD KILL EVERYONE OF THEM. The mean man pull out his gun and said:
Line up and I will kill you one by one. They could see the enemy officer was prepared
to kill them.
FINALLY AFTER ALL THE SCREAMING, ONE OF THE SCOTTISH SOLDIERS
STEPPED FORWARD. At that time the Japanese officer put up his gun.
He grabbed a shovel and beat the man to death in front of all his comrades.
His friends picked his body up and carried him and buried him.
A FEW HOURS LATER THE JAPANESE COMMANDER ORDERED THE COUNT
FOR THE TOOL CHECK. THIS COUNT ALL THE SHOVELS WERE THERE.
SOMEONE HAD MISCOUNTED THE SHOVELS THE PREVIOUS TIME.
THE SCOTTISH SOLDIERS WHISPERED THROUGH THE RANKS THEIR MAN
HAD BEEN BEATEN TO DEATH, INNOCENT. HE WAS WILLING TO DIE TO
SAVE HIS OWN MEN.
THIS EVENT HAD A WONDERFUL EFFECT OVER THE CAMP.
THE MEN CAME TOGETHER AS A UNIT AND THEY STARTED TREATING
EACH OTHER LIKE BROTHERS. THE SACRIFICE BROUGHT ABOUT REAL
CHANGE.
One day the ALLY FORCES came sweeping in and the GREAT VICTORY
brought LIBERATION. The survivors were LIVING SKELETONS and the Ally
Forces lined the MEN, THE WEAK SKELETONS LIKE FIGURES IN FRONT
OF THEIR ENEMIES THAT HAD BEEN SO MEAN AND CRUEL TO THEM.
ONE OF THE SCOTTISH SOLDIERS INSISTED: PLEASE, NO MORE HATRED.
NO MORE KILLING. NOW WHAT WE NEED IS FORGIVENESS.
THE SACRIFICIAL LOVE OF ONE MAN TRANSFORMED MANY.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
THE DOORS OF HEAVEN HINGE ON LOVE... & FORGIVENESS
WHERE THERE IS LOVE GIVING NEVER SEEMS LIKE A SACRIFICE.
LOVE REACHES BEYOND LOGIC...
LOVE IS LOVE. GOD IS LOVE...
Luke 6:35 (MSG) "I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return.
You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father
lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst.
36 Our Father is kind; you be kind.
37 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course,
you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down;
that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.
38 Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—
given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way.
Generosity begets generosity."
LOVE MUST LEARN TO INVEST IN OTHERS.
TO INVEST IS NOT LOOKING FOR A SHORT TERM SOLUTION...
INVEST MANY GIVE A LONG TIME BEFORE SEEING ANY RETURN...
I WILL LOVE YOU IF YOU LOVE ME...
I WILL FORGIVE YOU BUT YOU BETTER ...
Philippians 2:4 (KJV) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on
the things of others.
Philippians 2:4 (MSG) Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage.
Philippians 2:4 (NLT) Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in
others, too.
CONCLUSION:
LOVE LOOKS BEYOND TODAY'S PROBLEMS...
LOVE FINDS SOLUTIONS...
WHAT AM I GIVING AND DOING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE?
DO I HAVE A PLAN AND A PURPOSE TO LOVE AND MENTOR...
Am I loving the hard to love people and teaching them Jesus' love?
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
