"Loving Jesus"

 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me; for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (John 8:42 KJV)

  "The LORD of Heaven's Armies says to the priests: "A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! "But you ask, 'How have we ever shown contempt for your name.'" (Malachi 1:6 NLT)

 Maybe there are days when we should step back and evaluate the things we hold dear, taking better care towards the things that are near and dear to the Lord's heart? Not that we aren't already aware, because I believe that we are all very much aware of the things we should do, verses those things that the Lord has told us not to do.

 There are several things that I believe need to be addressed, without actually pointing fingers. Just the little things I have noticed over the many years of being in ministry. First and foremost, just because we serve the Lord, does not excuse us or give us the right to not serve others. 

 If you know the passage of Scripture where Jesus takes Peter aside, saying three times, 'Peter, do you love me?', then you should also know what Jesus says to Peter in response to his answer: "Feed my sheep." To be perfectly clear, feeding sheep is meant to mean so much more than just teaching the word of God. It is something that involves contentment and security and hope and love; all of which are things that can only be administered and provided by serving others.

 James has a little bit to add to this, as someone who had to make a total and complete change in his understanding about who Jesus was, and what it actually means to be a servant of the Lord. We simply cannot just expect to just say, "God bless you," and expect that there will be blessings showered out from heaven on someone: We are God's hands and feet...

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" - but then you don't give that person and food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." (James 2:14-17 NLT)