Through The Grapevine
Published on September 17, 2009 at 11:55 PM
*Originally published March 2009 at Growing In Grace Magazine*
We have all dealt with gossipers, talebearers and slanderers in our relationships. This isn't a new thing that friends or non friends have been doing to one another. God commanded the Israelites way back when they were released from Egypt saying:
Leviticus 19:16
"Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don't stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake; I am ADONAI."
But still it continued, even tho they were commanded to stop and Paul ended up dealing with gossipers too:
2 Thessalonians 3:11
"We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness - not busy working, just busybodies!"
Those that are gossipers, busybodies, and talebearers are people who pry into or meddle in the affairs of others, and then share things that should not be shared. Sometimes they are close friends who you told something in confidence of privacy who didn't care to keep that secret as it where and thus cause trouble, harm, and pain for others. When they do that, it is for their own personal gain and to hurt others. We all know how much it hurts when friends gossip... A LOT!
I do not want to deeply hurt people I care about and call my friends and vice versa. A gossiper is not a real friend and if you that one or more of your "friends" are gossiping, it is best to go away from them, until they stop.
Proverbs 20:19
"A gossip goes around revealing secrets, so don't get involved with a talkative person."
It is a grave thing to gossip and be a talebearer and slanderer. Such a grievous sin in God's eyes, that we are to put them out and not receive them:
Romans 16:17
"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained - keep away from them."
We need to make sure that those who gossip, slander, and talebear are known for their behavior and we need to avoid them. God does not want discord and mistrust in His body. When someone gossips, they are found untrustworthy, and God doesn't want us to associate with them. Sometimes friends gossip without knowing they are, but even if they do it on purpose, it is our duty to just forgive them.
Most of the time, friendships end where one of them have been gossiping or bullying the other:
Proverbs 16:28
"A deceitful person stirs up strife, and a slanderer can separate even close friends."
Proverbs 17:9
"He who conceals an offense promotes love, but he who harps on it can separate even close friends."
Gossip will separate even the BEST and CLOSEST friends and that is wrong! We are not to cause division in the Body and we are definitely not to go around telling others what we were told in confidence, wounding those that are our friends!
If you tell something to a friend in secret, and that friend is a REAL friend, they will not go around gossiping it:
Proverbs 11:13
"A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence."
If you are a true friend, you won't gossip, or slander, or talebear about something you were told in confidence. Your friend told you because they trusted you and believes you are a real friend. Don't break that trust.
Now... are you a gossiper, talebearer, or slanderer? The Bible gives us a clear list of what they do:
1 Timothy 5:13
"Besides that, they learn to be idle, going around from house to house; and not only idle, but gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn't."
There is an easy solution to end gossiping... stay away from those that gossip, talebear and slander.
Proverbs 26:20
"If there's no wood, the fire goes out; if nobody gossips, contention stops."
Whoa! News flash! If you don't gossip, then it ceases... what a novel idea! If you know someone who has a problem with gossiping, you can help them to stop by not telling them things that could be gossip material... fire doesn't burn without fuel. Don't fuel their fires and they will die.
So let's all recognize gossip and put an end to it and stop the vicious cycle of mistrust, hurt, and brokeness of the Body.
©AmandaDixon2009
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On Being Bullied
Published on September 12, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Once again, my family has been dealing with online friend problems. I don't understand why God keeps allowing us to go through this but He does and we believe in His sovereignty and that something good will come out of this if not only to find out who our REAL friends are. Unfortunately not only have we been dealing with being having these problems, but we have been somewhat bullied through this. Webster defines a bully as:
BULL'Y, n. A noisy, blustering overbearing fellow, more distinguished for insolence and empty menaces, than for courage, and disposed to provoke quarrels. A bully is just a person who has to hurt others in order to make himself feel better because the bully has no confidence or self esteem in himself. Bullies are just people who don't have or want peace in their lives! They are an unpeaceful people. They preach grace, yet they show no grace. They are just Users.
Bullies are not a new thing in our world. They have been around for centuries. The Egyptians who enslaved the Israelites were bullies. They were afraid of the Israelites. Many times fear makes a bully.
Exodus 1:8-14
Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef but said to his people, "Look, the descendants of Isra'el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. Come, let's use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they'll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether." So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra'amses. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra'el and worked them relentlessly, making their lives bitter with hard labor -digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites, and he thought that by bullying them they would be afraid of him. Satan often uses fear as his main attack. Fear is a powerful thing, and it is very important to not be fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline.
Anyone who oppresses you is a bully, and it is wrong. Anyone who pushes you to do what they want, whether physically, emotionally or mentally is a bully. Bullies are so manipulative, because they use their strength to get others to do what they want. They give the bullied no choice but to do what they want.
I have never been physically bullied, but our family has been virtually bullied on the internet many times. Like IRL bullies, virtual bullies try to make you do what they want, by gossiping about you, turning friends against you, going to your friends and befriending them, by hacking your websites and stalking you. They try to make you do their will, because you can't do anything about it. They make you be the bigger person because they know you won't go do the things they do or tell the world about them. You get stuck between a rock and a hard place; that is exactly where they want you.
But, even Jesus was bullied, so we can take the comfort that we can suffer through the same thing as Christ did even though it is hard to be bullied. I believe that bullying in a way is persecution and Jesus said: John 15:20
Remember what I told you, `A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. If Jesus was bullied and persecuted, you will be too! We are so blessed to have Jesus come to earth to endure these things for us and to tell us what we can do when they happen to us! Jesus also told us what to do to do those bully us: Luke 6:27-31
Nevertheless, to you who are listening, what I say is this: "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
"If someone hits you on one cheek, offer the other too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well.
"If someone asks you for something, give it to him; if someone takes what belongs to you, don't demand it back.
"Treat other people as you would like them to treat you.
Matthew 5:38-42
"You have heard that our fathers were told, `Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too!
If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well!
And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two!
When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.
We are to love the bullies, and do good to them, bless them, and pray for them! Believe me, that is no easy task. There are days when I just want to come out and say what REALLY happened and want everyone to know they can't trust those persons, but that is where we just leave the situation to God and let Him handle it. He is the righteous judge and will repay the deeds that are done.
All we have to do is what those verses, tell us: turn your cheek, give them your shirt, go the extra mile! So love those who bully, do good to them when they are horrible to you, bless them when they curse you and most importantly pray for them. Show Jesus to your bullies, even those bullies who are Christians, by doing those things because Jesus is the only one who can change them and prayer works!
Those who bully are spiteful and hateful! Love and kindness do not treat others like that. Jesus is love and kindness and if you don't have Him in your life, you can't love and show kindness to people and all you can do is be spiteful and hateful!
So remember to love those that bully you and by doing that you are showing Jesus to them! THAT is the mission of a Christian! To show the love of Christ to those who know Him not!
©AmandaDixon2009
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Just Forgive!
Published on August 30, 2009 at 3:33 PM
There are many seasons in a friendship. Seasons of laughter, seasons of sadness, seasons of trials, seasons of peace, seasons of hurt and pain, and seasons of healing and forgiveness. Lately I have had a hard time with unforgiveness in friendships. It is very painful to be hurt by people who were supposed to be your friend, who you thought cared about you. It is very hard to forgive when friends wrong you, but you must do it. You must do it because in order to receive forgiveness you have to forgive others. Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours. Your sins are much greater towards God than any human's toward you. If you want the Father's forgiveness you must give it! It is so hard to forgive when you are wronged and hurt. It is so hard to sit by as evil prevails and there is no punishment for their sin. It is very painful. But it is not for you to worry about. All you have to do is forgive them as Jesus forgave you. Peter also had a hard time understanding forgiveness. He had been having trouble with the tax collectors and he knew in his heart that is was right to forgive them, but he didn't want to because he was hurt. He went to the great counselor, though, and Jesus gave him the best advice: Matthew 18:21-22
Then Kefa came up and said to him, "Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?" "No, not seven times," answered Yeshua, "but seventy times seven! WOW! That is hard to do. We are to forgive seventy times seven that equals 490 times. Now when Jesus said that he wasn't saying to keep a record of how many times you forgive. He was saying you just forgive! Even if you are sinned against daily more than once, forgive! Luke 17:3-4
Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Also, if seven times in one day he sins against you, and seven times he comes to you and says, `I repent,' you are to forgive him." It is sad, but just because you forgive someone it doesn't mean they will stop hurting you. When that happens you just need to leave it in Jesus' hands because He will deal with them. We just need to make sure that as Believers we always have a season of forgiveness for everyone. Now forgiveness does not mean that you have to continue in close relationship with those who hurt you, because you don't. You can forgive, move on and still not have the same relationship with those who sinned against you. While Christ wants us to show His love to everyone, He does not want us to keep being hurt by going back to friends who will continue to wrong you. Paul had a disagreement with a friend, Barnabas. Acts 15:39
There was such sharp disagreement over this that they separated from each other, with Bar-Nabba taking Mark and sailing off to Cyprus. It is ok to part ways with others. People change, relationships change, ideas change. Sometimes God puts people in our life for a season, to help us grow or learn something. After that has season has passed, He will pull you away sometimes. He does not want division in His body. 1 Corinthians 1:10
Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose. You need to do everything in your power to have no divisions. If you find yourself in a place where you need to walk away from a relationship, you need to pray and ask God what to do and if He leads you away from it, you need make sure you are doing so righteously, according to the Bible. There is only one place in the Bible that talks about not forgiving and it is NOT by you not forgiving someone. Mark 3:28-29
Yes! I tell you that people will be forgiven all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; however, someone who blasphemes against the Ruach HaKodesh never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin." I know it is so hard to just forgive when you are hurt. You don't want to let your anger go because it seems like its all they left you when they hurt you, but you must give it to Jesus and forgive the person. You can still be kind to them, and not have the same relationship with them. You can still forgive, but you don't have to continue to be in a position where they can hurt you. Ephesians 4:32
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you. When you have done everything you are supposed, Jesus will take of the rest! Just forgive!
©AmandaDixon2009
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Honor Was Their Code
Published on August 14, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Another reason I have a passion for it is because I had the opportunity to make a Service album for my great grandfather a couple years ago. It was so neat to see his experiences and learn about WWII from him.
World War II and the Holocaust happened. It is something that needs to be taught and remembered and shared to all the generations now and in the future! That is my real passion: to share the lost stories of WWII and the Holocaust! So many of the men that served our country during that time are old and dying. We must get their stories and preserve them for the future generations. They need to know what happened in the past that is influencing the time they are living in.
August 14th is the day we have named and remember as National Navajo Code Talker Day. If you don't know what a Navajo Code Talker is, then come with me as we remember and learn.
At the beginning of WWII, Philip Johnston proposed  the use of the Navajos to the US Marine Corps. The idea was accepted and the Navajo language was developed into code, and modeled on the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet that uses agreed upon English words to represent letters. Since it was easier to say words than letters--while in combat--some terms, concepts, tactics, and instruments of modern warfare ere given uniquely formal descriptions in Navajo. They used the word "potato" in reference to a hand grenade, and the word "tortoise" for tank. The Navajo Codetalkers were born.
Code talker is a term that is used to describe people who talk using coded language... kinda easy, right? Well the Navajo Codetalkers job was anything but easy.
The Codetalkers had the job of transmitting secret tactical messages. The Codetalkers sent these messages over military telephones and radio communications using formal or informal codes that were built using their native language. This was very valuable since codes and ciphers can be broken, but languages must be studied for a long time before being understood.
The name Codetalkers is the Navajos that were recruited during WWII by the Marines, but other Native American codetalkers were used in the US Army in WWI and WWII. After first, the Marines didn't think the Navajo code would work. But the Japanese had broken every other code that the Marines had used.
The Navajo Codetalkers were the Marines secret weapon. The enemy could not decipher their code because it was a language. It sounded like they were talking underwater. The Navajo Codetalkers could do in 2min what used to take an 2 hours to do because it was simply based on their language.
The Navajo were not welcomed by some in the Marines because of prejudice. Some of the soldiers were mean and cruel to them because they were Indians. But when the Marines saw what the Navajo did and how many lives were saved because of them, they had respect for them.
The Navajo were a big part in the battles in the Pacific, especially in capturing the island of Saipan. They were able to radio the Navy and Flyboys to target specific Japanese hideouts that were shelling the Marines on the ground.
The Navajo Code and Codetalkers were vital in the victory at Saipan and every major battle in the Pacific. The Code was never broken. It was then used in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, in addition to WWI and WWII. 
On July 26, 2001, President George W. Bush presented the Navajo Codetalkers golden medal to honor the Navajo Codetalkers of World War II. In a separate ceremony that fall, each Navajo who trained and qualified as a Codetalker, or a surviving family member, have been presented a silver medal.
The Navajo helped us win against Japan and we should be grateful to them! Honor was their Code!
©AmandaDixon2009
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The "Little Boy" Was Dropped
Published on August 6, 2009 at 1:42 PM
August 6th, 1945, exactly 2 months and one year after D-Day, the United States released an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later on August 9th, the US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. These nuclear attacks were at the order of President Harry S. Truman against the Empire of Japan.
It had been six months of intense firebombing of 67 other Japanese cities, when the "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima and the "Fat Man" dropped on Nagasaki. To this day, they are the only attacks with nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.
 The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945. Roughly as many as half of those numbers died on August 6th and 9th. Since then thousands more have died from injuries or illness attributed to the exposure of the radiation that was released by the bombs. In both cities, the overwhelming majority of the dead were civilians.
August 15th marks the day that Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Powers, signing the Instrument of Surrender on September 2nd. The Pacific War was officially ended and therefore so was World War II. Germany had already signed its Instrument of Surrender on May 7th, ending the war in Europe.
The atomic bombings led, in part, to post war Japan adopting Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding that nation from nuclear armament.
The Manhattan Project and the Potsdam Ultimatum
The creation of these bombs was known as The Manhattan Project. The United States with assistance from the United Kingdom and Canada, designed and built the first atomic bombs.
The "Little Boy" was a gun-type device made with uranium-235, which is a rare isotope of uranium. This bomb was first tested at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16th, 1945.
The "Fat Man was a implosion-type device made primarily of plutonium-239, which is a synthetic element.
May 10th-11th, 1945 The Target Committee at Los Alamos, recommended Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, and the arsenal at Kokura as targets to drop these bombs on.
The criteria for these subjects were:
1.) they were larger than three miles in diameter and are important targets in a large urban area,
2.) the blast would create effective damage, and
3.) they are unlikely to be attacked by August 1945.
While the other cities were taken off the list, Hiroshima was left on and was described as an "important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial are. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focusing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage. Due to rivers it is not a good incendiary target."
The goal of the bombs was to convince Japan to surrender unconditionally in accordance with the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. The Potsdam Declaration was the outlining terms of surrender for Japan. It was presented as an ultimatum and started that without a surrender, the Allies would attack Japan, resulting in "the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland" but the atomic bomb was not mentioned.
Two days later, the Japanese newspapers reported that the declaration had been rejected by the Japanese government. Earlier in July, Truman re-examined the decision to use the atomic bomb, but in the end decided to drop the bomb. His intention for the bombings was to make a quick resolve of the war by inflicting destruction and instilling the fear of further destruction, that was sufficient to cause Japan to surrender.
The City of Hiroshima
Hiroshima was a city of industry and military significance. A number of military camps were located there, including the headquarters of the Fifth Division and Field Marshal Shunroku Hata's 2nd General Army Headquarters, which commanded the defense of all The city emblem-->
Although Hiroshima was a minor supply and logistics base for the Japanese, it was also a communications center, storage point, and an assembly area for troops. It was deliberately untouched by American bombing, allowing a pristine environment to measure the damage caused by the atomic bomb.
The center of the city contained several reinforced concrete buildings and lighter structures. Outside the center, the area was congested by a dense collection of small wooden workshops set among the Japanese houses. The houses were of wooded construction with tile roofs and many of the other buildings were of wood frame. A few industrial plants lay near the outskirts. The whole city was highly susceptible to fire damage.
While the population of Hiroshima had reached a peak of over 381,000 earlier in the war, prior to the atomic bombing, the population was approximately 255,000.
The Drop
Hiroshima was the Allies primary target with Nagasaki and Kokura being alternatives. August 6th was chosen because there was a cloud covering the target.
 The 393rd Bombardment Squadron B-29 Enola Gay, piloted and commanded by 509th Composite Group commander Paul Tibbets, was launched from the North Field airbase on Tinian in the West Pacific, which is 6hours from Japan. The Enola GayThe Great Artiste and the Necessary Evil.
When they left Tinian, the aircrafts made their way separately to Iwo Jima where they rendezvoused, then set course for Japan. The bomb had been ready and armed when they reached the target in clear visibility.
The release was uneventful and the "Little Boy" took 57 seconds to fall from the aircraft to the detonation point. Although due to crosswind, it missed the aiming point (the Aioi Bridge) by almost 800ft and detonated directly over the Shima Surgical Clinic.
The "Little Boy" created a blast equivalent to 13kilotons of TNT. The total radius of destruction was about 1 with resulting fires across 4.4 miles. Infrastructure damage was estimated at 90% of Hiroshima's buildings were completely destroyed!
The Japan Realize What Happened
Back in Tokyo, the control operator of Japanese Broadcasting Corporation noticed that Hiroshima had lost its communication. He tried to establish a connection, but could not. Twenty minutes later, Tokyo noticed that the telegraph line had stopped working north of Hiroshima. From small railway stops within 10mi of Hiroshima, there came reports that Hiroshima had been hit with a terrible explosion. All the reports were sent to the Japanese General Staff. The military bases repeatedly tried to get a hold of the Army Control Station in Hiroshima with no success. The complete silence puzzled the men at headquarters. A young officer was instructed to fly over Hiroshima. The officer flew for three hours, and all he saw was the great cloud of smoke from the bomb. The plane reached the city and they were in disbelief. The land was still burning and a heavy smoke was all there was. They landed south, reported and then began organizing relief measures.
Tokyo's first knowledge of the atomic bomb came from the White House public announcement in D.C., sixteen hours after the attack.
Post-Atomic Bomb Effects
Most estimates say the immediate effect of the blast killed about 70,000 people. Estimates of total deaths by the end of 1945 from burns, radiation, and related disease ranged from 90,000 to 140,000. Some estimates state up to 200,000 had died to 1950, due to cancer and other long term effects. From 1950 to 1990, roughly 9% of the cancer and leukemia deaths among bomb survivors was due to radiation from the bombs.
The energy release from the bomb was powerful enough to burn through clothing. The dark portions of garments were emblazoned on to the flesh as scars, while skin underneath the lighter parts was not damaged as badly.
was accompanied by two other B29s, Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The bombing of Hiroshima was sad. It is just a little reminder of how we regard human life. Let us remember that human life is created of God and we need to always keep in the front of our minds because that it is precious!
Keeping the memories of those killed alive!
©AmandaDixon2009
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"Love Is Like The Wind."
Published on July 27, 2009 at 10:56 PM
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"Love is like the wind. You cannot see it but you can always feel it!"
How true that really is. Love is a great example of not seeing and believing. You can't see love, but you  know its real. Although you can see actions that represent love, you can't "see" love like you can see a flower.
Love is hard to describe because its not only a feeling, but an action, a thought, and so many other things rolled into one. Often, we know the definition of love, but living it out is what really brings the true meaning and understanding of it to us.
We all know the Love chapter, but have you really pondered it? It tells us that:
1 Corinthians 13:1-4
"I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging. I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith - enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing. I may give away everything that I own, I may even hand over my body to be burned; but if I lack love, I gain nothing. If we don't have love in our actions, they are nothing. How do we know what love is though and what can we do to display it? Well the Scriptures are magnificent because they not only tell us what things aren't, but they tell us what they are and how we can do them!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13
"Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not gloat over other people's sins but takes its delight in the truth. Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.
Love never ends; but prophecies will pass, tongues will cease, knowledge will pass. But for now, three things last trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love."
In doing all those things, we have love. We will also have love by having God's Holy Spirit in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things." Something that caught my eye is that love is patient, patience is a fruit of the Spirit and so is love... Isn't is so great how they intertwine with one another? If we only took those two virtues and lived by them, we would be so happy in our lives!
Even knowing what love is in that aspect, I think sometimes its hard to grasp the concept of what love is. As humans, we have to see things to know their real. You wouldn't believe me if I told you that I saw horse talking would you? No! that's ridiculous. But Peter reminds us that we love without seeing:
1 Peter 1:8
"Without having seen him, you love him. Without seeing him now, but trusting in him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words." We love the Savior without ever seeing him. When we think about that statement, we get a double meaning... Yeshua is love and we love Yeshua without seeing him. We can't see love, but we know its there. How do we know that Yeshua is love, you may ask? Well that is clearly explained:
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners." God sent Yeshua to show us His love for us and in doing so Yeshua became God's love for us and we all know that:
John 15:13
"No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends." Yeshua showed us the ultimate way of showing love: to give yourself up for someone. That is the true meaning of love. Yeshua told us another way we can show our love for God:
John 14:15
"If you love me, you will keep my commands;"
John 14:21
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me, and the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
John 15:10
"If you keep my commands, you will stay in my love -- just as I have kept my Father's commands and stay in his love." By following God's word and His commandments, we will show our love to Him. I want so much for everything I do to show my love for my God.
We have to have an understanding of what love truly is before we can go off and say "I love you" to people. Love is a feeling and a thought, but more importantly it is an action. Arianna has a great example of how her actions helped her learn to love someone:
I think love is actions. Feelings and emotions play a small role in love, but it's really all about what you do.This year God has really taught me to love someone who, I didn't exactly consider an 'enemy' but was definitely someone I disliked. And if I would have tried to love that person with my FEELINGS, I would still hold bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart towards that person, and wouldn't love that person in any way. But by loving that person though my ACTIONS, I've been able to forgive the person and treat him the way God wants me to. "Actions speak louder than words" rings so true when it comes to love. We can say we love someone or something, but if we don't show them we love them by our actions, they won't know that we truly do love them! Christ showed us that He loved us through His actions and we must do the same. When you go out, do people know you are a Christian? The Scriptures tell us how everyone will know that we are disciples. Through our actions and love, the world will know that:
John 13:35
"Everyone will know that you are my talmidim by the fact that you have love for each other." We are to love one another, so we can be an example for Christ! Through our love for each other, the world will know that Christ is love!
1 John 4:7
"Beloved friends, let us love one another; because love is from God; and everyone who loves has God as his Father and knows God."
1 John 4:12
"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains united with us, and our love for him has been brought to its goal in us."
1 Peter 1:22
"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love each other deeply, with all your heart."
2 Thessalonians 1:3
"and the love you each have for one another continues to increase." Do people know you are a Christian by your love for one another? I pray that through the way I act and how I treat others that they will know I am a Christian by my love and that I can live up to:
Philippians 2:15
"So that you may be blameless and pure children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the sky."
I want my love to shine as a light for all the world to see, so they will know what love truly is and that is Yeshua the Savior!
Love Is Not A Fight but it sure is something we need to fight for! It's so easy to lose love in this world, but we must not! If we end up losing it, we become in danger of losing Christ who is love.
Lovingly,
©AmandaDixon2009
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