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his086
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grtlove.lzh
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GRTLOVE.TXT
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1991-06-30
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DEV:The greatest expression of Love by Tom Holt
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for
his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command."
(John 15:13, 14)
OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. . . Just why you, the Lord God Almighty who
created heaven and earth, would condescend to regard us as friends and
even lay down your life for us is something we can never fully
understand and appreciate. All we can say is: Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Yet, all too often, we do not live up to the condition that
qualifies us as your friends; we don't always do what you command.
Forgive us, Lord. And help us to develop an obedient and trusting
heart, so we can live a life that is pleasing to you. Amen.
Dear Friends in Christ, One day, when we were singing "What A Friend
We Have in Jesus", these lines caught my special attention: "O what
peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear. All because we do
not carry everything to God in prayer." Considering what a caring God
we have, why indeed haven't we carried everything to Him in prayer?
Most new believers, I suppose, have yet to understand that praying
is vital to their Christian walk. As they grow in the Lord, they will
probably discover how important it is to pray and how comforting it is
to lean on the omnipotent God.
Some Christians may have been discouraged by the fact that many of
their past prayers were not answered the way they wanted. With them,
then, it's a matter of learning to pray in the name of Christ; or, in
other words, learning to know the will of God. Once they have developed
a close walk with the Lord, they will know the reality of this promise:
"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:14).
More often than not, though, I believe we forfeit God's peace and
bear needless pain because somehow we want to play a part in solving
our problems. Perhaps in our misguided modesty, we don't think it's
quite right for us to dump all our worries onto the Lord.
But the Bible says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's
mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety
on him because he cares for you" (I Peter 5:6, 7). You see, the Lord
wants us to be so humble as to realize that, compared to His mighty
power, our effort is altogether worthless. Until we rest from our own
work and rest totally in Him, we would deny God of all the honor and
glory when He sovereignly delivers us.
So, I've learned to increasingly trust and obey God and to remember
that whenever I get into deep waters, He will lift me up in due time. I
encourage you to do that also. You will then be able to sing "What A
Friend We Have in Jesus" and mean every word of it.
Tom Holt, Editor