Tag: love

Rebuke and Discipline: Does It Ever Seem Like God Hates You?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 28, 2017

What We May Perceive As a Lack of Love May Actually be the Embodiment of It

In the book of Revelation, John shares a grand vision with an epic scope, far reaching and future focused. But before we get to that, God has some first-century messages for seven area churches.

Three of these messages appear in the third chapter.

In John’s supernatural dream, amid the seventh message to the seventh church, the one in Laodicea, Jesus says “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent,” (Revelation 3:19, NIV).

We know Jesus and his Father are all about love. They love us. That’s why they made a way for us to hang out with them forever. Love sent Jesus to earth. Love sacrificed him for us. Love ushers us into heaven.

When I think of God’s love, I think of his mercy (not getting the bad things we do deserve) and his grace (getting the good things we don’t deserve). I like grace and mercy.

However, two things I don’t think about when I consider God’s love are rebuke and discipline. Yuck. Yet correction is part of love, too. Parents, discipline their children to keep them safe and healthy and to prepare them for adulthood.

So discipline, from both God and our parents, is a good thing. It’s an act of love.

When God rebukes and disciplines us, it’s because he loves us, not because he hates us, has given up on us, or is ignoring us. Correction is one way he expresses his love to us.

How should we respond to his rebuke and discipline?

Jesus explains that, too. With all sincerity (earnestness) we need to change our ways (repent).

I think this might be one way we can show God we love him.

[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Revelation 1-3 and today’s post is on Revelation 3:19.]

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags God, God is love, grace, Jesus, love, mercy, supernatural

Christian Living

The Bible Informs How We Understand God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 14, 2017

We Get to Know God Better As We Read about Him in the Bible

Is the Bible a book about God or a book about his crazy people? The answer is yes. In combining these two ideas, we can say the Bible is a book that addresses God’s relationship with his creation.

Therefore we can better understand God by reading about how he interacts and deals with people.

The Bible mentions God thousands of times. He appears in every one of its books, (though his presence in the book of Esther is implied). His being permeates every page of the Bible.

To better understand God, we need to set aside the world’s unbiblical view of him. Humanity has a skewed perception of his character. And often they are just plain wrong. Popular culture is not a good source to learn about God. The Bible is.

God is Love

The prevailing theme I see in the Bible is love. The Bible shows God’s love of us and looks at how people respond to that love.

God loves us and we can love him in return. That’s what he wants. Though he won’t force us to love him, he does desire us to choose to do so. It’s called free will.

In the Old Testament, we see this love for him borne largely out of a healthy fear. In the New Testament, our love comes from the mercy he offers us through Jesus.

God is Patient

Though the Bible contains a plethora of themes that reveal much about God, I see patience as a key one. God is patient with us. Like a loving parent, he gives us chance after chance.

He wants us to learn and to do what is right. Like the father in Jesus’s parable of the wayward son (the Prodigal), God patiently waits for us, scanning the horizon in hopes we will come home to live with him.

God is Personal

It’s clear God wants to have a relationship with us, so we can be in community with him. He walked with Adam in the garden. He revealed his being to Moses. He affirmed David’s heart toward him. He talked to Paul. He gave visions to many.

He guided people to write about him and then compile these writings into the Bible we enjoy today. And, most importantly, he dispatched Jesus to point us to him and provide a means for us to be with God.

God is Eternal

The Bible shows God as existing outside of the time-space he created. Though beyond comprehension, he is eternal, with no beginning or ending. And he wants us to join him in that.

Though the Bible reveals much more about God, these four traits are a great start: God loves us and patiently waits for us to have a personal connection with him that will last through the rest of eternity. And that’s good news.

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Tags community, God, love, mercy

Christian Living

Let Us Persevere in Our Faith

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date April 23, 2017

The Book of Hebrews Tells Us How to React to What God Has Done For Us

An interesting passage in Hebrews opens with a reminder of who we are in Jesus and through Jesus (Hebrews 10:23-25). With this as our perspective, the author tells us four things we should do in response.

Let Us Pursue God

The NIV says to “draw near to God.” I like this imagery of us steadfastly moving toward God, getting closer and closer, almost as though he gently pulls us to him. Though we can accept or reject his supernatural yearning to pull us close, we consent to his attraction when we pursue him.

May we pursue God as if nothing else matters—because nothing else does. We need to do this with a sincere heart and full of faith.

Let Us Hold Onto Hope

Next we need to grasp the hope we claim to have within us. If we say we have hope but don’t act like it, what good is that? Instead our behavior, both in thought and in action, must align with what we believe.

And if we face temptation to waiver in our hope, Hebrews reminds us that he will faithfully give us what he promised. Cling to our hope.

Let Us Encourage One Another

Third is the reminder to encourage each other. While we can nurture many godly traits in others, this passage specifically mentions two: love and good deeds. It’s as if nothing else matters.

We love others in the same way God loves us. He shows us his perfect love and we strive to follow his example. And we help others. Why? Not to get God’s attention or to achieve some agenda, but because he says so.

The practical extension of love is to do kind things for others. Love connects to good deeds.

Let Us Not Isolate Ourselves

We can’t realize all God desires for us if we separate ourselves from his other followers. Together we stay strong. Apart we falter. As the Bible says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

The oft-quoted text for this is to let us not give up meeting together, which many misapply (read more about this). The point is to hang out with others who follow Jesus. The details of what this looks like is for us to determine.

As followers of Jesus, may we pursue God, cling to hope, offer encouragement, and spend time with each other.

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Tags faith, hope, love, supernatural

Christian Living

What Did Jesus Do?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 8, 2017

Move from asking “What Would Jesus Do?” to asking “What Did Jesus Do?”

The phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” was popularized in the 1990s. Often epitomized by colorful bracelets that bore the acronym WWJD, the concept was intended to serve as a constant reminder for followers of Jesus to act as he would act.

Therefore, in any given circumstance the goal of WWJD is for us to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do in this particular situation? Then we should act accordingly.

I like WWJD as an ongoing nudge to always strive to behave in a manner consistent with Jesus. However, this requires that we presume to know how Jesus would act today.

This necessitates interpreting his actions from two thousand years ago and projecting them into our modern culture, which we invariably do through the lens of our personal experience.

Some call this contextualizing. The problem in doing so is that we make assumptions and might be in error.

Instead of presuming to know what Jesus would do, it might be better to look at the Bible to see what he actually did.

In reading the biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—the biographies of Jesus—here are some of the things that Jesus consistently does:

Jesus Loves Everyone

The Bible shows Jesus loving everyone, especially those on the fringes of society, the people who “good” folks avoid. Jesus does the opposite, going out of his way to love those who few people love.

Jesus Questions Spiritual Conventions

A paraphrase of a reoccurring teaching of Jesus is “You have heard it said ____, but I say ____.” It seems Jesus consistently challenges the beliefs people have and the way they act.

His teaching delights the common people and frustrates the people who think they have everything figured out about God and what he expects.

Jesus Heals People

Jesus goes around healing people of their physical infirmities, from removing fevers to raising people from the dead. In this spectrum of need are people with odd afflictions that the Bible calls evil spirits.

It matters not if these people are really possessed by demons or if their struggle is actually mental illness. The reality is that Jesus heals them. He solves their problems and makes their lives better.

And for those who claim that miraculous healing doesn’t apply today, check out Jesus’s future-focused statement in the book of John: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12 NIV).

Jesus Feeds People

On two occasions Jesus feeds hungry people, miraculously multiplying a measly amount of food to feed a multitude. Before you assume you can’t do that, go back to read the above verse in John.

Of course we don’t always need a miracle to feed people. We can just do it the normal way and feed hungry people from the resources we have.

Jesus Opposes Religiosity

Jesus opposes the religious status quo. Though Jesus clearly loves everyone, one group consistently earns his criticism: the spiritual leaders who follow regimented religious rules. They adhere to a spirit of religiosity.

Though they are devoted in their righteousness and adherence to their traditions and interpretations of the Bible, Jesus consistently has to correct their errant thinking.

These are the things that Jesus does. May we go out and do the same, to do what Jesus did.

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Tags follower of Jesus, heal, Jesus, love, miracle, religious

Bible Insights

If God Heard a Report on You, What Would it Be?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 20, 2016

Paul Sends Timothy to Check on the Church in Thessalonica

The missionary Paul and his crew wonder how things are going with the church they started in the city of Thessalonica. He can’t send them an email, follow them on social media, or give them a call.

His only option is to dispatch someone to check things out. Paul sends Timothy, a worthy disciple who he trusts fully, to investigate.

Timothy’s concluding report of them is a positive one. He brings back good news of their faith and their love. That’s it; nothing more: Faith, check; love, check.

Although he could have chronicled the numeric growth of their church, the size of their collections, or their latest board decisions—all things seemingly important in today’s church—he doesn’t.

He addresses matters of the heart: faith and love. They excel at both and nothing else matters, at least as far as Paul is concerned.

If God sent someone to check out your church, what would its report card be? Would you get a passing grade or fail?

More personally, if God sent someone to evaluate you, what would the testimony be? Would God say, “Well, done, good and faithful servant?” or would the conclusion be more along the lines of “epic fail?”

If these questions make you squirm, even just a bit, then reduce your action list to the core essentials: faith and love.

Do you have a growing faith in Jesus? Is your faith in Jesus shown by your love of others? If the answers are “yes,” then the report will be a positive one. May it be so.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1-3, and today’s post is on 1 Thessalonians 3:6.]

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Tags faith, love, Paul, Timothy

Christian Living

A Christian Response to Criticism

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 16, 2016

Jesus Provides a Simple Solution For Us to Follow When We Face Opposition

Recently a friend asked for some assistance at a writers conference, for help in modeling a writer critique process. I and several others were happy to volunteer.

We arrived at the session and disbursed ourselves throughout the room, each sitting at a different table, ready to lead our group when the time came.

God drew me to a table at the perimeter, specifically to one man at that table whose body language screamed a warning. When I asked if I could join them he scowled, though his female tablemates welcomed me.

As we waited for the session to begin, my efforts to connect with him met with failure. And each time I interacted with others at the table, he hijacked the conversation and made it about him. He craved attention and wanted to be in charge.

In small group lingo we’d call him an EGR person (“extra grace required”). I wished I’d picked a different table.

My friend leading the session called the attendees to order and explained the procedure: how it worked, what we should do, and what not to do.

Each table had a leader familiar with the practice, she explained, who would guide the attendees in following the process.

I’ve done this for several years and successfully guided many groups through this critiquing process. The man at our table objected to the prescribed process and wanted to do things a different way. Words were exchanged. Heated barbs were thrown at me.

He called me a dictator. I hope I responded in a way that would honor Jesus, but I’m not sure—only God knows.

Eventually the man calmed down, but the tension he caused remained, palpable and unrelenting. Though we went through the motions of the critique process, I doubt anyone gained from our efforts.

We completed the assignment, and I left as soon as I could.

Hurt by the affliction of his words, I stewed about this for a couple of days. His emotional wounds had inflamed mine. Then God prompted me to consider why this man acted as he did.

Writers call this the backstory. A different view of him surfaced; a bit of compassion emerged.

Instead of harboring ill will for this man, God told me to pray. I thought this was a once-and-done deal. But no, it is ongoing.

Each time I think of this situation and the actions of this man, I am to pray for him. He has received many of my prayers in the past few days.

Yes, he has issues, but I have issues, too. We all have issues. God loves us despite our issues. We all need Jesus to save us—sometimes from ourselves.

Though this man is not my enemy (not really) and has not wronged me (not really), Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, Matthew 5:44. This, I realize, is how we need to respond to opposition.

Prayer for those who opposed us is Jesus’s solution to deal with conflict.

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Tags Jesus, love, pray

Christian Living

Are You a Friend of Sinners?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 7, 2016

It’s Hard to Embrace Those Who are Different from Us but We Should

The word sin is an unpopular one in today’s culture. Postmodern thinking rejects moral absolutes and advocates that anything goes. Under an ideal of tolerance, society claims that to label an action as sinful is judgmental, closeminded, and unacceptable.

Ironically they become intolerant of people who talk about sin.

In reality, everyone sins (Romans 3:23).

It’s just that we downplay or even ignore our own sins, while we recoil from the sins of others, which we deem as more objectionable or even abhorrent.

The Bible says Jesus is a friend of sinners (Matthew 11:19, Luke 7:34). This slur comes from his detractors, and he repeats it. They intend it as criticism, but we see it as a badge of honor.

We admire Jesus for hanging out with the people that the righteous religious society rejects: prostitutes, adulterers, tax collectors, lepers, the sick and unclean, other races and mixed races, and so forth.

It seems Jesus accepts everyone the religious leaders discard. In fact he makes a point to do so, often going out of his way to welcome them. He embraces them; he loves them.

We respect Jesus for doing so. Shouldn’t we do the same? Shouldn’t we be like Jesus?

Shouldn’t we make a point to behave more like Jesus and reach out to those the organized church reviles?

Who might this be? The other political party? Muslims? The LGBTQ community? Pornographers? Those with a criminal record? The list goes on. There is no end.

Hosea writes that God desires mercy not sacrifice, that is, offering mercy trumps following a bunch of rules (Hosea 6:6). Jesus confirms this and adds that these folks are the reason he came (Matthew 9:12-13).

Let’s be more like Jesus and befriend those who the church rejects.

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Tags Jesus, love, mercy, postmodern, sin

Christian Living

The Art of Giving to God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 12, 2016

By Giving to God We Demonstrate Our Love to Him

Jesus says to give “to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” Luke 20:25, NIV. While the context of this relates to paying taxes, the ramifications go beyond money.

The Roman government, in general, and its ruler (Caesar), specifically, have an array of expectations that go beyond tax revenue.

Caesar proclaims himself as god, and we see the far-reaching implications. Caesar wants for himself what the Jewish people reserve for God.

Many critics of today’s church claim “the church is only after your money,” and in doing so they imply God only values us for our bank account.

While this is sadly true at too many church institutions, it’s not what Jesus intends for us and is far from God’s heart.

Yes, God wants us to give ourselves to him. As we seek to put this into practice, however, giving to God becomes more art than rule. Here are some considerations.

Give Our Money

When most people think of giving to God, they only think of money. Yet, we can’t actually write a check and hand it to God – and what would he do with it anyway?

We give our money to God by using it to bless others and support causes that align with God’s heart, according to his Holy Spirit direction in our hearts. This may or may not be the local church.

It could be a parachurch organization, to address a pressing social issue, or to help our neighbor in need. Regardless, when we give cheerfully as God directs us, we in effect give to God.

Give Our Time

We spend time with people we value: family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and so forth. The people we ignore must not be important to us. The same applies with God. Again, this may or may not happen at church.

We spend time with God when we fast, pray, study the Bible, and practice silence and solitude.

We also spend time with him when we sing to him and talk with others about him. And when we invite him to join in our gatherings, we spend time with him, because he is there.

Give Our Worship

In singing songs at church about God and to God, we give to him. We can worship him in other ways, too, such as prayers of praise, sharing with others our stories of his goodness, and enjoying his creation. I often worship him when I write.

Give Our Love

Perhaps the most misused, most misunderstood word in English is love: I love my wife, and I love to watch movies. I love nature, and I love the color blue. I love spring, and I love to write.

And I love God. If our love of God means anything, we show it by how we use the money he blesses us with, how we invest our time, and how we worship him. Our love for him is a fitting response to his love for us (see 1 John 4:19).

Give Our Devotion

The act of devotion encompasses the first four items, but our zeal for God also goes beyond them. We set aside other pursuits to focus on God; we put him first, not in word but by our deeds.

Devotion involves sacrifice and focused attention, as though nothing else matters, because nothing else truly does. Giving to God is a lifelong, fulltime pursuit. As our maker, liberator, and friend, he deserves nothing less.

Let’s look at what we give to God.

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Tags give, love, money, time, worship

Christian Living

Love is the Answer—And the Question Doesn’t Matter

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 6, 2016

We Need to Love People Who are Different from Us, Just Like Jesus Did

Last night I had a dream, the kind you remember when you wake, the unsettling sort that you can’t shake. Even as I sit down to write an hour later, it remains lodged in my gut and won’t go away.

I feel God prompting me to share it, but I don’t want to because it addresses a polarizing subject I’d rather not confront.

I dream I’m at a county fair. The sun shines, warmth surrounds, bliss permeates. I watch those around me, something writers often do to muse out ideas and discover dialogue.

Two women walk by, smiling. They enjoy the setting, the moment, and each other. They hold hands and share familiar, knowing glances.

A young girl approaches them. Dressed in flowing white—as can only happen in a dream—she holds something cupped in her hands. She smiles. I think she’s going to give them a gift.

But instead of sharing a present, she drops her hands. Her smile fades. She shares words. Mean words about their sexual orientation, words to attack and to hurt. Her flowing white morphs to a dingy gray. Her eyes glare disgust. She snorts animosity.

Not so pretty anymore, she inflicts damage as her cruel invective spews forth. I recall not the words she speaks but only the turmoil they churn in my soul. It lingers still.

After too much time passes I get up and stand between them.

I try to use my body to shield the couple from the onslaught of malicious words. The diatribe of the girl’s hate-filled salvo hits me and falls harmlessly to the ground. When her loathing exhausts, she disappears into the crowd.

I want to console the couple, to give them a loving hug and somehow help them. I turn to face them, but they are gone. I groan a prayer for them and trust God will understand the angst I cannot voice.

Nearby a group of strangers watch the entire ordeal. They beckon me. I drag myself over to join them. They give me space to process what happened. “Am I the only one confused by the issue of homosexuality?”

I shake my head, and they urge me to continue. “Neither side understands the other. They wonder how the opposing view can be so wrong.

But I see each perspective, both the left and the right. I can argue an answer from different angles: compassion, privacy, biology, logic, theology, human rights, procreation, family.

By themselves each of my arguments makes sense, but together they contradict one another and leave me stuck not knowing how to respond.”

“But you did respond,” one says.

“Yes, but it was too little, too late,” I counter. “I could have done more. I should have done more.”

“You acted when no one else did, even though you’re not sure why.”

“I think it’s what Jesus would do,” I deliberate aloud. “The Bible shows that Jesus had compassion for everyone. He loves all who come to him, especially those on the fringes of society, the ones most people reject.

Jesus doesn’t judge or criticize, either—except for the religious elite who don’t understand him and lead people astray.” I pause as I corral more thoughts.

“If I’m going to error, let me error on the side of love.”

Several in the group nod with me, as I continue.

“All I know for sure is that love is the answer.”

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Tags Jesus, love

Christian Living

I Heart Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 14, 2016

Saying Happy Valentine’s Day to God is a great way to spend this Sunday

When I read the New Testament I see a God of love. God sends Jesus to earth out of his love for us. Jesus dies for us because he loves us.

In fact the only reason we even know what love is and how to love others is because Jesus shows us how to do it (1 John 4:19).

This post is my Valentine card to God. I love you God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are so amazing; you are so awesome.

The word love occurs hundreds of times in the Bible, disproportionally more so in the New Testament. Many of these occurrences reference God’s love to us.

His love for me overwhelms me: flooding me with joy, giving me security, and providing contentment.

Centered in God’s love is the best place to be.

Another common context for love in the Bible is loving others. In fact, Jesus gives us a “new command” to “love one another” and says it is an act of witness (John 13:34-35 (NIV).

Later Paul writes to the church in Rome simply saying that when we love others, we effectively complete the Old Testament Law (Romans 13:8).

Imagine that. One short word and one simple action fulfills the 613 confusing and complex commands found in the Law of Moses.

Love makes the Law easy-peasy.

Saying Happy Valentine’s Day to God is a great way to spend this Sunday, but not just this Sunday—every Sunday. Better yet we can love every day. And we don’t just love God.

He is easy to love, but we also should love other people, too, even the ones who aren’t so lovable.

As we love God we are better prepared to love others in his name. And if we all did this, the world would surely take notice.

Happy Valentine’s Day, God. I love you.

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Tags awesome, God is love, love, witness