Episode 420 – Love is not a Contract

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

People do good things for three reasons. Some do good to avoid punishment. Others do good to earn rewards. The best reason to do good is because we love God. Doing good to get a response from God is contractual. Love is not a contract. When we are judged by God on Judgment Day, He…

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Giving Everything

You’re walking down the city sidewalk, and a homeless man begs for help. You reach into your pocket and grab the spare change and toss it in his hat. You feel good about yourself for not ignoring the man and go about your day satisfied. You never miss the loose change that was in your…

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Obedience Requires Love

Yesterday I said we needed to serve God with free will and love, not out of duty. Today I want to discuss obedience as a fruit of love. There is a difference between duty and obedience. Many people do not see the difference. How can we be obedient and still use free will? Peter, an…

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Free Will is Greater than Duty

When I was young my family had a dog which we all loved. What I didn’t love was waking up early to take him for a walk. One day my father asked me if I wanted to take the dog for a walk. My answer was a lesson I will never forget. I said no,…

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Episode 417 – Learning to Love

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

When Christ was asked which law was the most important, He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these…

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The Value of Love

Free this and free that. They say nothing is free, but ‘they’ are wrong. Love is free. It costs nothing but pride. It costs nothing but the willingness to not be loved back. On the other hand, love is what gives everything else value. Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of…

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The Cost of Following God

There is a cost to everything. Whether it be financial cost, emotional cost, or the cost of time, everything that we desire comes at a cost. The more we want something, the more we are willing to pay. The less we care about something, the less we are willing to pay. Then there are those…

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Loyalty Has Its Limits

When my father was young it was expected that if a person dedicated his life to a company, the company would take care of him in retirement. Workers and companies were loyal to each other. Those days are gone. Workers used to be able to count on ‘moving up’ in the same company after years…

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Episode 406 – A Commandment of Love

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

Maybe the most difficult commandment from God is for us to love our enemies and those who do not love us in return. It takes real courage to love those who love. The Golden Rule requires Christian courage. We all need love. None of can survive without love. When we can figure this out, then…

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Loving God

We say we will do anything for the ones we love. History is filled with dramatic love stories, many of which end in tragedy. We don’t mind the tragedy because it represents love. We like to imagine that we would endure tragedy for the ones we love. When push comes to shove, it is true…

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