Law of Love (Part 2): God’s Agape Our Model

Pastor Jose V. Velasco   

Read: Matthew 5:43-48

   This is a continuation of the preceding reflection. From the context of our Bible reading we can understand that what Jesus meant when He enjoined “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”, was to be perfect like God in love. To Jesus the model of our loving must be that of God. But how can we have an idea of that love? We can know it in Jesus Christ because He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). He reflects all the nature of God (Col. 1:19, 2:9), including His Love. Hence, He could say, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12).

Photo by: Destiny East Gate Ministries

   How would we characterize God’s love as revealed in Jesus and His words? If we are to love like God does, it is important that we know this.

   First, it is unconditional. It is free. Many think they will earn God’s favor by their good deeds and character. If this is true no one would ever obtain God’s love because even the best of us is an unworthy sinner. The prodigal son planned to offer his services to his father to earn his father’s welcome back into the home. But before the son could do this, the father has already welcomed him (Lk. 15:17-20). God loves the sinner without any strings attached (Rom. 5:8) God also wants us to love unconditionally. Unlike a politician who may be very outgoing to get votes. And it is so hard to love a person who is proud, belligerent, selfish and uncaring. We think they do not deserve to be loved. But Jesus commands, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt. 5:44). We love even the undeserving because they, too, are God’s children and He loves them also.

   Second, God’s love gives generously. “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son” (Jn. 3:16). Jesus was God’s greatest and best gift to us. But He also gives us all our other material and spiritual needs. He gave even our lives. If we are to love like God we must also be generous in giving. But giving does not only include money and other material things. The Good Samaritan who rescued the helpless victim of robbery gave his time, his first-aid skill and his money (Lk. 10:33-37). He even sacrificed his business agenda for the day. And God gave the greatest sacrifice, His Son, to save us. In like manner we must also sacrificially serve the needy. Serving the needs of the destitute and suffering is a tangible expression of our love for them. Jesus summed up His mission by saying, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). And yet Jesus said that when we serve the poor and needy we serve God also (Mt.25:40, 45).

   Third, God’s love is forgiving. God is like the father of the prodigal son who forgave his son unconditionally. Jesus also forgave the adulterous woman (Jn. 8:11). Then when Jesus was hanging on the cross He prayed for the forgiveness of His torturers. We must also forgive people who offend and do wrong to us (Mt. 6:14-15). 

   You may be saying agape love is too idealistic and impossible for us. You are right. Humanly speaking we can never fulfill it. But with God it is possible. First, God pours “out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5). Second, He enables us to practice it. He does this when we are truly connected to Him in faith. Of course, our love is still imperfect because of our human frailty. But God is slowly working in us to perfect it unto eternity.

Prayer: Lord, fill me with your love that I may be able to love others as you would love them. In the name of your Son Jesus Christ whom you sent to the world because of your love.  Amen.

Law Of Love (Part 1)

Jesus & Mary: Scene from the movie Passion of Christ

by:  Pastor Jose V. Velasco

Read: Matthew 22:34-40

   We commonly think of February as the month of love. So we will reflect on love this month. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment readily He answered, “love the Lord your God...” And second, “love your neighbor...” (Mt. 22:37-39). Jesus says that all of God’s laws are based on these two commandments (40). In the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17) the first four commandments relate to loving God, and the last six relate to loving fellow human beings. In general all God’s teachings in the Old and New Testaments relate to loving God and people.

   The Greeks had several categories of love. There is eros which is marital love. Filia is also the general love for people like family, friends, and neighbors. Karitas is the love of humans to God. Agape is God’s love to human beings. Agape is the highest and purest form of love. It is totally unselfish, unconditional and undeserved. The closest common example of Jesus for agape was the love of a parent to his/her child (Mt. 7:9-11). A parent provides generously what is best for his/her child because of love.  I knew of a couple who had a 7-year old son who was just like a 2-month old infant. The boy could not get up and communicate. The parents did their very best to care for him very lovingly and tenderly. They knew that the child will never be able to reciprocate their love and sacrifices for him, but they still did their best to love and care for him. Here is a human example of agape, - unconditional and undeserved love. Of course, the parent’s love, though in way the closest model so far for agape, is still imperfect. No human being can equal God in loving.

   Yet, Jesus enjoins that agape should be our model in loving. Jesus modified the second Great Commandment which enjoins us to love others like we love ourselves (Mt. 22:39). He said, “Love each other as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12), not as you love yourself. Agape, which is God’s love, should be the model. Thus Jesus made new the old command based on self-love.  He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (Jn. 13:34).

   With this new command of Jesus making agape (God’s love) as the model of love what will happen to the other categories of love? Are they eliminated? No. There is still marital love, family love, love of all other people, and love of God. But all these other kinds of love must be characterized by the spirit and quality of agape: unselfish, unconditional and sacrificial.  So we must love as God loves. In the next mid-month reflection

we shall discuss more about the nature of agape love and how we may possess and practice it.

Prayer: Lord God, imbue us with your love that we may love like you love. In the name of your Son who has demonstrated that love in His earthly life and death on the cross we pray. Amen. 

Come, Follow Me

Painted by: Christ Calling the First Disciples
Philip Richard Morris

By: Pastor Jose V. Velasco

Read: Matthew 4:18-22

   “Come, follow me.” These were Jesus’ words when He called Simon Peter and Andrew to become His disciples (Mt. 4:19). We presume He also called James and his brother John with these same words (Mt. 4:21). Again, when Jesus called Matthew He said, “Follow me” (Mt. 9:9). And in a sense Jesus still calls us today to follow Him. It is well for us to contemplate on this as we enter this new year.  And if you are not yet following Him you may decide to do so.

   What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? First, it is to be in intimate company with Him. This happens when we say to Him, “Yes, I want to follow and be with you forever.” Then we pledge to Him our love, trust, obedience and service. In this relationship we accept completely His lordship. We resolve to do nothing but His will and desires. This is complete submission to Him. But this submission is never servile and demeaning. In fact, just the reverse. It is dignifying and uplifting. It is not servile because Jesus considers us as His friends (Jn. 15:14-15). The submission is not humiliating, but like the prodigal son when he came home, the loving and forgiving embrace of his father, the ring, the best robe, comfortable shoes, and lavish banquette restored dignity and honor to the lost beloved son (Lk. 15:22-24). This is what you would become if you come to Jesus Christ. Second, to follow Jesus is to live like He lived. In 1 John 2:6 we read, “- - whoever says that he remains in union with God should live just as Jesus Christ did” (Good News Version). In the Reflection, Renewal and Change, this was  mentioned as the goal of renewal. Third, to follow Him is to hear and obey His words and teachings. This is an affirmation of our love to Him. If we love Him we obey His words (Jn. 14:15, 21, 23). Definitely following Jesus in these ways is what it means to be a real Christian.

  Note that when these men followed Jesus they gave up their livelihood (Mt. 4:20, 22; 9:9). I know of teachers who gave up teaching when they became pastors. But this is not a requirement for all. I know of a lawyer, a dentist and a physician in the Philippines who became pastors but did not entirely give up their professional livelihood. What they did was to incorporate their careers in their ministry. And this also helped them financially because they could do ministry even with low pay. Paul continued his tent making after becoming a missionary. We have to seek God’s guidance regarding this as He impresses it upon us. But I am also thinking of things that we must give up totally if we follow Christ. We must give up the old sinful life. We must get rid of anything that displeases our new Lord and Friend. (Colossians 3:5-9).

   We said above that Christ still calls people to follow Him today. How? Through the preaching and teaching of the gospel. Through the influence of your families, friends, neighbors, other Christians, reading the Bible and other Christian literature, and all other ways in which the gospel is proclaimed. The call may have already come to you, but have you responded positively?

   If you are now a follower of Christ the challenge is to be faithful. Many temptations to backslide come. But Jesus says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Will you be a faithful follower until the end?

Prayer: Lord, let me hear your call and answer positively. Let me be your faithful and loyal follower until the end. In your blessed name. Amen.

Some Reflections on Sin

 By Pastor Jose V. Velasco

Read James 1:12-15

This reflection logically follows our reflection on temptation because the two are related. Sin happens when one yields to temptation.

When discussing temptation and sin we do not mean to emphasize the negative. But to tackle the enemy you must know his strength, strategies and intentions. So we must know what sin is, its nature and how it works.

Temptation is not sin. And you cannot avoid nor prevent it from coming. Satan is always around tempting people (1 Peter 5:8). He even tempted Jesus. He is busy recruiting followers. His main goal is to pull people away from God. He is also actively preventing people from believing in God. He does this in so many ways: through the influence of others, by trials and sufferings, putting bad thoughts and intentions into our minds, bad literatures, etc. The saying goes, you may not be able to prevent a bird from hovering over your head. But you can prevent it from building a nest on your head. Satan may want to control you, but through the power and wisdom of God you can defeat him (Philippians 4:13). It is when you surrender to Satan that you sin.

 What is sin? John says, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 Jn. 3:4). This is what Adam and Eve did (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:6). So they sinned. But sin is not just the transgression of an impersonal law. It is sinning against the personal God, the very giver of the law. When King David committed the sin of adultery and repented he prayed to God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight- -“ (Psalm 51:4). Of course, we also sin against the victim of our sinning. We sin against his right and dignity as a person. Sinning is rebelling against God because we are rejecting and disobeying His will as defined in His laws. 

 Sin is not just the outward acts of breaking God’s laws like murder, adultery, stealing, coveting, etc. It is the evil thoughts and attitudes that we have in our minds and hearts. This is how Jesus characterized sin (Mt. 5:21, 28). He said that these are the things that make us truly unclean and sinful (Mk 7:20-23). Our evil acts are only the symptoms or outward manifestations of our inward sins.  

 What does sin do? First, it alienates us from God. Hence, Adam and Eve, after they sinned, ran away from God (Gen. 3:8). They did not feel comfortable in His presence. The stow-away son left his father (Lk. 15:13). This is not a physical separation but a spiritual one. It is being far from God in the mind and the heart. Second, in sin we forfeit God’s blessings. Adam and Eve lost paradise including its peace, joy and specially God. The stow-away son lost the abundance, and comfort of his home, and specially the loving, secure company of his father. In sin we lose God’s peace, joy, power, comfort, guidance and power. Third, sin separates people. It creates disharmony, misunderstanding and fights. Fourth, sin has also affected God’s creation. This is hinted by Paul in Romans 8:19-21. Not because the inanimate creation can sin. It is sinful human beings who are destroying creation by abusing and misusing it. 

The worst thing that has ever happened in God’s world is the coming of sin. And yet thanks to God that that is not the end of the story. God sent Jesus Christ to the world that if we believe in Him and obey His words we may be saved from sin.

 Prayer: Our Father God, thank you that you sent your Son to deliver us from the bondage of sin. Help us that by faith we may be empowered to overcome and be delivered from sin. Amen.

 

 

 

The Tragic Deception

By: Rev. Jose V. Velasco, Jr.

(Study of The Book of Genesis 3:1-10)

   
       The Bible text begins with a mention of the serpent who is the villain in the story. We think of him as practically the source of all our personal troubles as well as troubles in the whole world. His name is Satan. Where did Satan come from? Did God create a bad guy like him? No, God did not create anyone bad. The Bible says that all God created was good. A refrain in the story of creation in Genesis 1 is “And God saw that it was good.” Traditionally he was known to have been created good by God. He was an angel. A usual reference used for him is Isaiah 14:12-14. Bible commentators surmise that the morning star in verse 12 may not be exclusively for Satan. It could mean king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, too. But whoever he may be the morning star could also symbolize Satan. So he was an angel, but out of pride he rebelled against God. And what he does now is to seduce people to turn against God. Out text is the Bible’s story of how Adam and Eve were seduced and deceived to disobey God.

       Satan is busy tempting people to disobey and turn against God (1 Peter 5:8). In order to be able to defeat him it helps to know some of his strategies.

       From our Scripture text we see some steps that temptation takes.

   1. Sowing of doubt that leads to unbelief. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (1). Did God really mean what He said in these words? In our case we know some Christian duties we must fulfill. For example, worshiping God in church on Sundays. Satan will ask us, “Will it matter if you miss church half of the time because you have to do extra job to make more money?” A lady deliberately took an item in a dollar store without paying for it. Someone near to her noticed it and asked “why?” She said, “Do you think this is a serious sin?  This is just a dollar store anyway.” If you yield to these doubts then you are hooked.

   2. Giving a direct lie. “You shall not surely die” (4). Just the reverse of what God said (Gen. 2:17). As soon as Satan wins in the first step he intensifies his effort and gives a direct lie. Here, it is God who becomes a liar. So people transgress God’s commands because they think He was not really serious about them. And so we do not take those commands seriously also.

       What are some consequences of sin?

   1. Godly values are reversed. God said that the forbidden fruit was poisonous (Gen 2:17). But the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom--“ (6). How often do we say this is good when we know from God’s words that it is bad? And vice versa?

   2. Guilt. At this point Adam and Eve realized they were naked (7). That means nothing can be hidden from God. God knew what they did. That created guilt and fear so they tried to cover up. Guilt can be a big trouble in our personalities.

   3. Separation from God.  After Adam and Eve violated God’s command they fled from God. Their feeling of guilt spiritually distanced them from God. They were no longer intimate with God as His children. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah (59:2).

   How to defeat temptations:

      1. Have deep and rich knowledge of God’s words. In the wilderness Jesus countered Satan’s lies by “It is written” (Mt. 4:4, 6, 7). God’s word is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:7). Knowing God’s truth will keep us on the right tract.

   2. Stay away from temptations. This is the meaning of the “Lead us not into temptation.” When you deliberately go where the temptation is you are giving the devil a chance. Paul says, “Don’t give the Devil a chance” (Eph. 4:27).

   3, Resist the temptation (1 Peter 5:9). Firmly say no.  

   4. Pray for strength and wisdom (Phil. 4:13).

   5. Keep company with strong Christians. They will encourage, support and inspire you. 

Prayer: Lord, grant us the wisdom to know your words and will that we may not sin against you. Strengthen and empower us that we may defeat temptations when they come to us. In the name of your Son, we pray. Amen.

What Is Man? by: Pastor Jose V. Velasco, Jr.

What Is Man?

By: Pastor Jose V. Velasco, Jr.

 This is a question asked by the Psalmist, a poet prominent in the Bible (Psalm 8:4). The 

term man here should also include woman. Our answer to this question is very fundamental because to a large extent it determines how we regard and treat our fellow human beings.  When our view of a human accords with the Biblical view then we shall regard and treat him/her with love, dignity, respect and worth. But if we regard a human lesser and lower than the Biblical view then we treat him/her as a means to our selfish ends, treat him/her with brutality and disrespect when we dislike him/her. So what is man?

   Foremost of all, the Bible says that man was created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27). This does not mean physically because God has no physical body. He is a spirit. (Jn. 4:24). In some spiritual sense man is like God. He is like God in his ability to think. Of course, in a lower way other creatures think, too, to meet their biological needs. But not in the level that humans do. Man can think and study intricate matters. Humans can think of and believe in God. They can learn and obey His will. This is the highest that man can attain in his intellectual activity. So he worships. This makes him a spiritual being. Then he is a moral being like God. God endowed him with the ability to distinguish between good and bad and has the capacity to choose either or both. Man, like God, can relate. Man is a social and gregarious being.  We seek the company of others. Good relationship with God should lead to good relationship with others, and vice versa. Man is also creative. God enjoined him “Be fruitful and increase in number” (Gen. 1:28). Obviously, this meant multiply by procreation. But it also included creativity in other aspects like arts. Man creates beautiful music, drama, and paintings. By architectural engineering he sets up elegant buildings, and through imagination he lays out lovely botanical gardens.

   In the Bible being like God is tantamount to being His child. In Matthew 5:44-45 being like God in love is being His child. Paul says that being God’s children people should be like Him (Eph. 5:1). So, because man is a child of God he has dignity and worth. God crowned him with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5). He must be treated with love and respect. Whatever we do to man, good or bad, also affects his Creator and Father. God is either pleased or offended.

   A big responsibility was entrusted to man. He is to occupy the earth and subdue it. He must “rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Gen. 1:28). God appointed man to be the care-taker and manager of His creation. Much that God created are raw materials. Man must explore these, develop and use them to his benefit. He must not destroy nor waste them. In his role as a care taker man is accountable to God. He must make sure that what he does to God’s creation pleases and glorifies the Creator.

Learning To Make Every Second Worthwhile - What MAKES UP Memories?

Learning To Make Every Second Worthwhile 

What MAKES UP  Memories?

by: Peregrino V. Taccad, Jr.

Excerpts of my memorable past and the lessons I gained from them

A person’s life is a continuous unraveling story, from conception down to his last breath. Each life is bounded by time, counted by milestones of year, the very reason why we celebrate our birthdays and make it very memorable each year. Whatever happens within a minute of that life is entirely different from anything happened before that. It could be a repetition of the previous actions but it is never the same. New things, new circumstances continuously flow like a fast moving conveyor taking us through life’s various points of no return. No one can possibly rewind one’s life, except God.

Situations are combinations of planned course of actions and unplanned, accidental and surprising occurrences. They are blends of good, neutral and bad forces surrounding our existence. As we go through many situations from birth to present, memories have been continuously and inevitable stacking up. Some makes you smile, some makes you burst to tears, some are teeth-gritting, and some are worth burying into the cemetery of forgotten as they are too insignificant to remember.

Our ultimate goal in this life is to create all pleasant, meaningful and purposeful memories, life-giving and inspirational traces of footsteps wherever we go and whatever the situation we may encounter. We are here on earth to turn curses to blessings; to sow seed of joy despite sadness; to display love, affection and understanding amidst abominable circumstances; and to teach the younger generations to live in harmony and peace with one another despite differences in colors, races, cultures, principles and beliefs.

I remember in my High School days, in our subject, Military Science, we were made to recite the famous verse of Stephen Grellet that goes this way:

"I shall pass through this world but once; any good, therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. "
In my subsequent postings, I will be featuring excerpts of my memorable past that leave life’s lessons worthy to be shared to everyone who are patient enough to read follow my blog. I do hope you will share your experiences too.