How Do We Know That We Love God?

The Bible states over and over again exactly how we are to demonstrate our love to God. The simple answer may surprise you!

How do we know we genuinely love God? That probably seems like an odd question to most of us. Of course, we love God, and we just know that we love Him.

But is that good enough? Is it enough to just know and feel that we love God? Is anything else involved?

Actually, the Bible-God's inspired Word-is clear about how we show love to God. It is specific about what we are to do to demonstrate that love.

God created people to have a loving relationship with Him. God reveals Himself to us as our heavenly Father and calls us His sons and daughters, His very children. God desires a family relationship with us, with His showing love to us and our showing love to Him.

God is in the process of "bringing many sons to glory" so that He and mankind can ultimately be "of the same family" (Hebrews 2:10, 11, New International Version).

Mutually exclusive testaments?

Most people view this close, loving God-mankind relationship as an exclusively New Testament concept and think of the Old Testament as strictly a relationship of law and enforced obedience. But is this view accurate? Are love and obedience really two mutually exclusive concepts, as many seem to think?

To answer these questions we need to ask ourselves what kind of relationship has God always wanted with mankind.

A lawyer asked Jesus Christ a vital question: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Christ said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"

The lawyer quoted from the Ten Commandments: "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"

Jesus replied to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live" (Luke 10:25-28).

As we just read, the man asked Jesus Christ, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Eternal life was the issue. The man quoted two Old Testament scriptures, found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Christ's response may be surprising to some: He assured the man that he had given the correct answer and added, "Do this and you will live."

So, to gain eternal life, it is clear that we must love God. But what does that mean? Is love just a warm, nice feeling toward God, or is there more to it?

Love loves

Love can be a noun or a verb. I like to think of love as a verb, because love as an action word implies that something is happening, something is being done.

Love (the noun) requires that someone love (the verb). For example, if we love someone, we demonstrate our love by spending time with our loved one. We do things with and for that person. We visit him or her, go places together, talk to each other. We may make or buy gifts to demonstrate that we love and value that person. We show our love by our actions.

Since love requires action, by what action does God want us to demonstrate our love for Him? What does the Bible say about this? Some believe that in the Old Testament God focused only on obedience and law, but in the New Testament we are "under grace" and have only to "love God" in some vague way, supposing that obedience and love are mutually exclusive concepts. But can this be true?

In both Exodus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6, God prefaces the Ten Commandments with a statement that demonstrates grace: "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage," He said.

God focuses us on His loving act of undeserved mercy, deliverance, favor and pardon in His freeing the Israelites from slavery and establishing them as a new nation. He extended grace to them, doing something wonderful for them that they did not deserve.

In verses 9 and 10 of Deuteronomy 5, God says, "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God . . . showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (emphasis added throughout). Here we see another example of grace, with God promising "mercy to thousands." We see that grace is built into the Ten Commandments.

Biblical theme of obedience

These passages begin a thread that is woven throughout the Bible. The Scriptures show repeatedly that loving God and keeping His commandments are inextricably connected; one describes the other. God says that we show love for Him by obedience, by keeping His commandments.

Let's notice some of the many examples that show the connection between love and commandment-keeping. In Deuteronomy 6:5, 6, God says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today [referring to the Ten Commandments, given in the previous chapter] shall be in your heart."

This is the verse the lawyer quoted to Christ that we referred to earlier. It says we love God with all our heart, soul and might by keeping "these words, which I command you." Those specific words were God's Ten Commandments. These words from the Bible clearly define loving God as obeying His commandments.

Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 summarizes the response God expects from Israel and all mankind. ". . . What does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"

This tells us clearly that we love God and serve Him by keeping His commandments, which He gave us for our benefit.

Deuteronomy 11:1 says, "Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." We love God by keeping His charge, His statutes, His judgments and His commandments.

The theme of loving God by keeping His commandments continues in verses 13 and 22. God says we are to "earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." We love Him when we "carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do-to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him . . ."

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 warns us about false prophets. Even if they can predict something that comes to pass, if they say we can disobey God and ignore His law, then God's people are to pay no attention to them. God says He proves and tests us "to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (verse 3).

How do we prove to God that we love Him? Continuing in the very next verse: "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him" (verse 4).

Love is expressed by doing what God says

Deuteronomy 30:6, 8 continues this theme of showing love by obedience to the commandments: "And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart [a prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit] and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul . . . And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today."

Circumcising the heart (conversion of the mind as described in Romans 2:29), loving God and returning to God are evinced by keeping His commandments.

God says He will "rejoice over you . . . if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul . . ." (Deuteronomy 30:9, 10). "Turn[ing] to the LORD" is shown by keeping His commandments.

". . . I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess" (verse 16). God tells us we are to love Him by keeping His commandments, and God promises blessings for our obedience.

The theme continues in the book of Joshua, where God tells His people to "take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Joshua 22:5).

Love flows both ways

Any healthy relationship of love is a two-way street, with love flowing both ways. In 1 John 4:19 we find why we should love God: "We love Him because He first loved us." John had earlier explained what he meant by God's earlier love for us: "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:9-11).

Romans 5:8 gives other examples of ways God has proved His deep love for us: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to prove God's love for us, long before we were capable of returning that love in any way.

The familiar passage in John 3:16 tells us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

But belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God means much more than just academic agreement. Belief (Greek pisteuo) means acting on knowledge: living one's life by faith, unswerving devotion and total obedience in the light of that knowledge.

Our God, His people

Jeremiah 31:3 talks of God's deep love for mankind: "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.'" God has always had as His plan for human beings a loving relationship within His family. He describes it in eternal terms as "an everlasting love."

Verse 33 says that, in this loving family relationship, "I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." His law is permanently planted in our hearts and minds to show us how to love Him as well as how to love each other.

We see this same theme of loving God and keeping His words continuing in the New Testament. John 14:21, 23 makes this clear: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word . . ."

The New Testament defines love for God the same way as does the Old: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). God's law is not heavy, oppressive and burdensome. As we read earlier, it was given for the benefit of humankind.

God tells us repeatedly and clearly that we demonstrate our love for Him by keeping His commandments, and that has been His intent from the beginning. The commandments John discussed were not "new," but were "the word which you heard from the beginning" (1 John 2:7). God's law has been a law of love from the very beginning-from the creation (1 John 3:11).

Many other scriptures make it clear that keeping God's commandments is not something we can do by ourselves. As we repent and yield to Jesus Christ, God's Spirit enables us to allow Jesus Christ to live in us (Galatians 2:20), giving us the desire and capacity to love God and our neighbor.

In Luke 10:25-30, quoted earlier, a man asked Christ what he should do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him the correct answer is "love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind."

Love requires action, not just feelings. How do we know we love God? The consistent, clear, biblical answer is that we love God by keeping His commandments. GN

Four Biblical Keys to Understanding World Events

Important world events are happening all around us. But what do they mean? Can we understand? Here are four key principles for analyzing world events from an all-important biblical perspective.

Important world events are happening all around us. But what do they mean? Can we understand? Here are four key principles for analyzing world events from an all-important biblical perspective.

Most geopolitical experts would agree that we have witnessed three tectonic shifts in world politics in the last three decades. These tectonic shifts—changes that have strong and widespread impact—include:

• Ayatollah Khomeini's 1979 revolution in Iran that spawned the spread of radical Islam to the far corners of the world.
• The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 that freed Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics in the northern Middle East.
• The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States that led to the war on terror, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now we are witnessing a possible fourth tectonic shift—the worldwide financial crisis, described by many economists as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

How great is this latest shift? Half of the world's wealth in the financial markets disappeared in 2008—some $50 trillion. "This crisis is the first truly universal one in the history of humanity," stated former International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus. "No country escapes from it. It has not yet bottomed out" ("Global Financial Assets Lost 50 Trillion Last Year," Bloomberg News Service, March 9, 2009).

No one knows how much longer it will last or, due to unprecedented global government deficit spending, how much long-term damage will be done to the world's economies. We could be observing the end of the free market system as we know it and the beginning of another that will have far more government involvement, control and regulation in many nations—including the United States. At least, that is the current trend.

How are we to make sense of things? Surprising as it may seem to some, the best place to start is the Bible—the written revelation of the Creator God. The Bible encourages us to consider world news in the light of scriptural teachings, including prophecy of what is to come. But how are we to go about this?

Wouldn't it be great to know certain tried-and-true biblical guidelines to properly analyzing so many bewildering world events? Wouldn't you like to make sense of it all, to know where such trends are headed?

In Luke 21:29-36 Jesus Christ said: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near...Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass ..." (emphasis added throughout).

He was referring to future end-time events and warning us to be on the lookout for what is happening around us so we will not be lulled into complacency or deceived by leaders with smooth words or deceitful signs.

So how can we properly analyze world events? Of course, we have the specifics of Bible prophecy. But we also have more general principles. Here are four biblical keys to determining what to expect from various nations and national governments when examining the world scene:

1. Human nature has not changed for thousands of years.

The Bible is quite realistic when analyzing the human heart—meaning a person's inner motivations. It says in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" (New American Standard Bible).

Yes, the Bible says human nature is egocentric, deceitful and sick at its core, although few will admit to that personally. And nations are simply a collection of individuals guided primarily by self-interest.

In his classic book Politics Among Nations, the lateprofessor Hans Morgenthau put it this way: "Human nature, in which the laws of politics have their roots, has not changed since the classical philosophies of China, India, and Greece endeavored to discover these laws" (1992, p. 4).

Why is human nature the way it is?

To understand, we have to go back to our original parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. There they made a fateful decision for mankind when they chose to disobey God's instruction and eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil instead of the tree of life (Genesis 3:11-19). From then on, man has lived in a fallen world—one ruled largely by his own greedy, selfish reasoning rather than by God's spiritual laws.

In fact, Romans 8:7 tells us, "And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it" (Good News Bible).

Despite all the "rose-colored-glasses" views of humanity, the reality is that self-interest still rules supreme. We clearly see this in the social, governmental, religious and financial sectors of the world.

Indeed, a principal factor that guides much of human nature is the invisible influence of Satan the devil. He not only deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), but coaxes all people into selfishness and sin—the opposite of God's way of outflowing love. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells Christians that before conversion they "were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience."

Yes, the reality of world politics is that it's swayed by this powerful but perverse spirit being.

Satan even boasted to Jesus Christ about his control of and authority over the earth's governments: "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish'" (Luke 4:5-6).

We often hear from political leaders that everything they do is motivated by the best of intentions for the welfare of everyone. We likewise often hear that human nature is intrinsically good. But good intentions and good feelings aren't enough. Look at the world around us. The global financial system—supposedly guided by the smartest among us—has ended up, largely due to so much greed and corruption, in a severe economic crash.

Regarding world politics, do you know what World War I was called? It was labeled "the war to end all wars." Yet World War II soon followed, and nearly a century later terrible wars still rage and have become far more deadly. Regardless of the best of intentions, the self-exaltation of human nature, aided and intensified by Satan's negative influence, remains constant.

None of this is new. More than two centuries ago America's first president, George Washington, wrote: "A small knowledge of human nature will convince us, that, with far the greatest part of mankind, interest is the governing principle. . . Motives of public virtue may for a time, or in particular instances, actuate men to the observance of a conduct purely disinterested; but they are not of themselves sufficient to produce a persevering conformity ...

"It is vain to exclaim against the depravity of human nature on this account; the fact is so, the experience of every age and nation has proved it and we must[,] in a great measure, change the constitution of man, before we can make it otherwise. No institution, not built on the presumptive truth of these maxims can succeed" (quoted in The Writings of George Washington, Vol. 10, p. 363).

The lesson is this: When watching global political events, we should remember that human nature has not changed and is essentially based on self-interest.

So don't be fooled by claims of nations or political leaders basing their policies on altruistic notions or the welfare of others. Acceptance of such assurances has often led to catastrophic results—such as British leader Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Adolf Hitler that, along with other factors, eventually led to World War II.

A more modern example was former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's naive view of the Soviets, which contributed to their invasion of Afghanistan. After he told the American people they had to dispel "an inordinate fear of communism," the Soviet leaders listened and felt they now had a freer hand to bully their neighbors.

Two years later, in 1979, they invaded Afghanistan with the intention of making it part of the Soviet empire. After his initial shock, Carter exclaimed about the Soviet premier, Leonid Brezhnev, "I can't believe he lied to me." Yet if he had considered the Soviet ideology and self-interest more rationally, he would have been more careful.

This takes us to the second key, which follows naturally from the first.

2. Each nation seeks its own self-interest and exercises power to that end.

Jesus Christ spoke bluntly about the reality of politics and national leaders. "You know that in this world kings are tyrants," He told His disciples, "and officials lord it over the people beneath them" (Matthew 20:25, New Living Translation).

The exercise of power may sometimes be subtle rather than overt—but it is still primarily based on self-interest and control.

"Power may comprise anything that establishes and maintains the control of man over man," wrote Professor Morgenthau. "Thus power covers all social relationships which serve that end, from physical violence to the most subtle psychological ties by which one mind controls the other ... For if we look at all nations, our own included, as political entities pursuing their respective interests defined in terms of power, we are able to do justice to all of them ... We are then capable of pursuing policies that respect the interests of other nations, while protecting and promoting those of our own" (pp. 9-11).

Sadly, few nations are able to exercise their power without abusing it. So don't be surprised when you see the misuse of power by the mighty. It has been going on for millennia.

Almost 3,000 years ago King Solomon noted: "Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter—on the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter" (Ecclesiastes 4:1).

Yet this "oppression" will usually be cloaked under lofty ideals. "All nations are tempted," added Professor Morgenthau, "and few have been able to resist the temptation for long—to clothe their own particular aspirations and actions in the moral purposes of the universe" (p. 11).

As Proverbs 21:2 tells us, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." Yes, it is part of human nature to disguise with good intentions and high moral goals what it often wants for selfish reasons.

So we should be very skeptical when leaders take drastic actions that have long-term consequences under the guise of having others' "best interests at heart." It's always good to have a healthy skepticism and look for what they would deem their best interests under the circumstances to judge what is being done.

This leads us, then, to the third key for understanding world events.

3. Each nation expresses its own interest through its national character.

Nations generally have certain character traits that do not change over time. What is embedded in the national character of a people will continue through the centuries.

The Chinese have not essentially changed their way or culture of doing things and neither have the British, Americans, French, Germans, Russians, Africans, Hispanics or Arabs.

The famous English poet and philosopher Samuel Coleridge wrote in describing this national character: "There is an invisible spirit that breathes through a whole people, and is participated by all, though not by all alike; a spirit which gives a color and character both to their virtues and vices, so that the same action, such I mean as are expressed by the same words, are yet not the same in a Spaniard as they would be in a Frenchman" (Essays on His Own Times, 1850, Vol. 2, pp. 668-669).

The Bible expresses the national character of a people by comparing it to the attributes of different animals. In Genesis 49, for example, several of the tribes of Israel are compared to diverse animals. In Daniel 7:4-7, the Bible compares the Babylonian Empire to a lion, the Persian Empire to a bear, the Greek Empire to a multiheaded leopard and the Roman Empire to a mighty beast. In Revelation 13 and 17, we also see nations depicted in the end time with the attributes of wild beasts.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, today's most powerful nations are also traditionally compared to animals: the United States to an eagle; Russia to a bear; China to a dragon; and the European Union, as some of its coins depict, to a woman (Europa) riding a bull.

Consequently, it is important when analyzing world events to take into account the national character of a people.

Again, Professor Morgenthau showed great insight in stating: "National character cannot fail to influence national power; for those who act for the nation in peace and war, formulate, execute, and support its policies, elect and are elected, mold public opinion, produce and consume—they all bear to a greater or lesser degree the imprint of those intellectual and moral qualities which make up the national character.

"The 'elementary force and persistence' of the Russians, the individual initiative and inventiveness of the Americans, the undogmatic common sense of the British, the discipline and thoroughness of the Germans are some of the qualities which will manifest themselves, for better or worse, in all the individual and collective activities in which the members of a nation may engage" (p. 133).

In regards to Europe, which has a key role in Bible prophecy, it's well worth remembering what journalist Luigi Barzini wrote about national character in 1983: "The future [of Europe] is in the laps of the gods. It will probably be decided, once again, by Germany's decisions. And Germany is, as it always was, a mutable, Proteus-like, unpredictable country, particularly dangerous when it is unhappy" (The Europeans, 1983, p. 267).

Again, nations have a type of behavior all their own—so don't forget to take it into account.

This brings us to the fourth key.

4. Each nation seeks a balance of power to offset dominance by others.

The balance of power is a key element to understand how nations act. Alliances are frequently formed to offset other power centers.

As historian J. Allen Smith explains: "The fact that no country alone is sufficiently strong to feel secure against any possible combination of opposing states makes necessary the formation of alliances and counter-alliances through which each state seeks to ensure the needed support in case its safety is menaced from without" (The Growth and Decadence of Constitutional Government, 1933, p. 241).

We see this formation of end-time alliances in the description of the feet of the image that depicts the last of the world empires described in the book of Daniel.

Daniel 2:41-44 says: "Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it [strong nations or peoples], even as you saw iron mixed with clay [weak nations or peoples]. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed" (New International Version).

The Expositor's Bible Commentary says about Daniel 2:43, "The text clearly implies that this final phase will be marked by some sort of federation rather than by a powerful single realm."

The crux of this fourth point is: When analyzing world news, it's important to take into account the alliances made by the different nations—noting that they have their self-interest at heart.

Coming changes in human nature

So does this leave us with a pessimistic view of world events? Is there no hope for the future? Not at all! What we have considered so far is simply a realistic perspective of the present global situation. Thankfully, the Bible also provides an optimistic outlook in the long run.

We do know we will see a coming time of great distress due to nations acting like predators against other nations (Matthew 24:7, 21). But the good news is, the four key factors here based on man's present human nature will finally be changed for the good after Jesus Christ's return!

Let's note how the four factors will be very different during Christ's reign over the earth.

1. Human nature will finally be changed and Satan will be put away.

George Washington, quoted above, mentioned that self-interest would be the main motivator of the politics among nations because "we must in a great measure, change the constitution of man, before we can make it otherwise."

The Bible promises just such a change in "the constitution of man"—his fundamental makeup—beginning at Christ's coming: "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:33). Ultimately, all of mankind will be brought into the same relationship with God.

At the time of Christ's return, Satan the devil will be put away and no longer sway nations to follow selfish and violent ends (Revelation 12:9; 20:1-3).

2. Nations will not seek self-interest, but the interest of others.

Once the nations are converted and receive God's Spirit, they will no longer view themselves as rivals but as colleagues. They will all seek to obey God and end war.

We read of this profound change in national attitudes in Isaiah 2:2-4: "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths' ... They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall notlift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

3. National character will not be used to oppose, but to build up.

With their nature changed, nations will instead use their talents to cooperate and build each other up.

We read in Isaiah 19:23-25 of nations that were formerly enemies: "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."

4. There will be no more need for balance of power; there will be only one power over all the earth.

All nations will learn God's ways and keep God's holy feasts together in harmony and peace. Jesus Christ will be the head of government over the entire world, and there will be no competing powers.

We read in Zechariah 14: "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth ... And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of allthe nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (verses 9, 16). In learning to worship the true God in the way He commands in His Word, the Bible, all nations will finally learn the way to true peace and cooperation with one another.

Be alert and on guard

Seismic shifts in world politics have occurred in the past decades, some are occurring now, and more will be coming in the days ahead. Jesus Christ tells us that we need to be alert to such things and spiritually on guard as the time of His return draws close (Mark 13:33-37). Use these four keys regarding nations today to avoid being deceived by carnal political or religious leaders. Power politics is a reality, and it's vital to keep our eyes open and our per-spectives firmly grounded in biblical truth.

As Christ admonished us, let's intelligently watch what happens around us and always be in an attitude of praying, "Thy Kingdom come!" In doing so, let us be mindful of the way the four keys here will be quite different when that Kingdom is finally established over all nations.

Training for Life

Philippians 2:5-11 …….. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The 'Training for Life' course has five key elements:

1. Our spiritual life is developed through teaching from the bible and Godly lifestyle as we live out our lives in humility and reverence with holiness before God and men.
2. Through the practical work of everyday life we learn the joy of selfless servanthood.
3. In creative workshops the Holy Spirit reveals the majesty and the magnitude of God the creator and this becomes a platform for true worship.
4. As we learn to care for our physical bodies we are able to present ourselves before people and God in a way that brings our heavenly Father all the glory.
5. Through ministerial opportunities, the trainees will be able to share with others the richness of their revelations and their practical insights.

I have just returned from Africa. That means that I have been in six different countries on mission in the past five months. My next long-haul mission will be to South India in November.

I am starting new students in September who will participate in our Training for Life course and some of them will accompany me on the India Mission.

I am restricting the intake to only six students; first-come-first-served. In this way the training will be more effective. If you are interested you should apply now.

Who will benefit from this course? Everyone!

The revelation imparted and the lifestyle developed will benefit everyone who is seeking fulfilment, joy and peace through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

‘The WayChristianMinistries aims for excellence in all things. We are called to make disciples out of Christians.’

Lord Jesus, thank you for satisfying us with good things. Amen

For more information and application form: http://www.thewaycm.com/tfl.html

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What does it mean to give praise to the Lord?

Praise the Lord! What does it mean to give praise to the Lord? It means to praise God for who He is and for what He does.

We can praise God for He is the creator of the universe. He is good, and loving, and kind. His very nature is love. He is all powerful and He rules over all the universe. He is just and fair in all His dealings. You can praise God for who He is each and every day.

We can also praise God for what He has done in our lives. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. God forgives our sins when we accept Christ as our Savior. He provides food for us and blesses us with His love. Every good blessing in your life comes directly or indirectly from God’s hand. He has given us the promise of heaven — of eternal life — when we ask Christ to be our Savior. Truly God is good and we can praise Him every day for what He is doing in our lives.

The Bible says to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” We are to praise the Lord at all times. Sometimes life may seem dark, and your problems may be very great. Yet even in the midst of difficult times, we can praise God for who He is — and for the gift of Jesus Christ — and for the good things He has provided for us — and for the promise of heaven.

So, this week, let us pray and

• Thank God for all His goodness to us
• Praise God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for us
• Thank God for His blessing on the staff and ministry of Global Media Outreach

THANK YOU so much as you join with us in prayer. We are seeing God answer our prayers as we see many people come to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. May God bless you as you seek Him.

May God bless you,

Let Liberty Ring

Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about the subject of freedom and liberty?

When I think about the 4th of July an interesting fact comes to mind. Did you know that the Liberty Bell was not rung in 1776 to commemorate the declaration of independence? It actually had nothing to do with the Revolution!

In fact, the Liberty Bell was installed in Philadelphia in 1753 and was in perfect working order for 85 years until it cracked in 1835. Abolitionists nicknamed the bell "Liberty" four years later and it referred to the abolition of slavery not the Revolutionary War.

Now in an interesting turn of events, in 1970, the Procrastinators' Club of America demanded a tongue in cheek overdue refund for the Liberty Bell from England's White Chapel Foundry. They wanted a refund for 2 reasons: 1. Because it had cracked and 2. Because they misspelled "Pennsylvania" on the Liberty Bell. Do you know what the company's response was? Believe it or not, they kindly offered a full refund—provided that it could be returned in its original packaging!

I think most realize that we've been given great freedom and liberty. But did you know that your Bible has a lot to say about this subject? Jesus himself said that he came to "proclaim liberty to the captives" and "set at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18 NKJV).

We've all been captive and oppressed by sin. Yet, we are so blessed to have been given the "perfect law of liberty" that can help free us from the bondage of sin.

So next time you hear the word "liberty", remember God's perfect law of liberty and let it ring true in your life.

A Lesson in Prayer

You've probably heard about the power of prayer and how prayer can bring about wonderful changes in your life. But have you ever prayed and nothing happened? Have you recited the same words over and over, hoping God would somehow help you make a decision or supply an answer to an unsolvable problem? It's not that God doesn't care. The problem could be that you don't know what Jesus taught about prayer.

Have you ever stood in a church service and like some mechanical drone recited these words: "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen."

Then you walked away with no understanding of the kingdom, no power and no glory of God in your life. Sound familiar?

This passage is what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13. Yet what Jesus gave here is actually an outline of how to approach God and is more accurately a model prayer. Let's consider what it reveals.

Start with proper focus and priorities

Taking a careful look at this model prayer, we see that Jesus says to begin your prayer by honoring God. How many times have you started your talk with God with the "gimmes"? You know—give me a new car, give me a new job, give me a new house . . .

Jesus said to begin your prayer with praise for God's greatness. Many times we approach the awesome God as if He were a genie in a bottle waiting to grant us our wishes, instead of with an attitude of humble worship that is due the Creator of the universe.

Jesus next said to pray, "Your kingdom come." We must long for God's rule to be established throughout this earth—and in our own lives today.

What are the important priorities in your life? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His followers not to have anxious worry about their physical appearance or clothing. He told them to look at God's creation and see the power, love and genius of the Creator and trust in Him.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus told His disciples not to fret over daily needs but to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." God blesses those who have set His priorities in their lives.

If you don't see God's blessings in your life, you should ask yourself, "Are God's priorities the main priorities in my life?"

If you're going to have God fulfill His purpose in your life, then everything you do must be founded on two simple principles. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" and to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-40). These two commandments must be the basis of all your priorities if you want to receive God's blessings.

A matter of unconditional surrender

In the model prayer we are next told to pray, "Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

At the Battle of Fort Donelson during the American Civil War, the Confederate general asked for terms of surrender. The Union commander Ulysses Simpson Grant answered, "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted." After that it was said that Grant's first two initials, U.S., stood for "Unconditional Surrender."

In your relationship with your Creator, He grants you no terms except unconditional surrender. Unconditional surrender means to give up control over your own life and give your life to God. Handing over control of your life to God is daunting.

How can you have the courage to unconditionally surrender your life to God? Think of the most exciting sporting event you ever watched when your favorite team won. Remember the anxiety and emotional ups and downs as the game hung in the balance.

Now think about watching the highlights of that game later. You experienced excitement, maybe even wanting to see the game repeated over and over, but the anxiety of possible defeat was gone. It's the same players, the same drama, but the difference is that you know the outcome.

To accept God's will in your life, you must have faith in His promised outcome for you. When you have that kind of trust in God, His power is unleashed in your life. It's not always easy, but God will be with you through all the ups and downs, and He will ensure the final victory.

Next Jesus said to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." It's important that we take our physical needs to God. But notice, you do this after you have honored Him and asked for His will in your life. God wants you to bring your job needs, bodily aches and pains, family problems and financial difficulties to Him for wisdom and counsel. He wants to intervene in your life to make every day a wonderful, spiritual adventure, but first you must acknowledge Him as the source of your life and blessings.

Looking again to Matthew 6:33, if we put God and His way first, He will see to it that all our needs are met.

Forgive to be forgiven

Next in the prayer outline Christ gave, we are told to ask God, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." The debt here is what we owe for the sin we've committed—essentially personal suffering and death. In a similar passage, Luke 11:4 records Jesus' words as "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us" or, as the New International Version interprets this, "everyone who sins against us."

Thankfully, God offers us forgiveness for the terrible things we've done against Him. In return He expects all of us to extend forgiveness to others.

Forgiveness is giving up the emotional need to punish someone who has treated us in a hurtful way. A disciple of Jesus named Peter realized that to forgive someone seven times was remarkable. Jesus told him to forgive a great deal more than that (Matthew 18:21-22). Forgiving others isn't easy, but you will never experience true peace of mind until you do.

Jesus explained the need for forgiving others in a parable about a man who owed a king a great amount of money. The man was brought before the king and begged for time to get the money together. The king, out of the goodness of his heart, showed the man mercy and forgave his debt.

This man then went out and found another man who owed him a small debt. The second man begged for time, but the forgiven man demanded payment and threw the second man into debtors' prison. The king found out and told the man whom he'd forgiven, "Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?" He then turned the man over to suffering until he paid what had previously been forgiven him.

Explaining the point of the story, Jesus warned, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (Matthew 18:23-35).

When you refuse to give up the desire for revenge, you not only twist your own emotions into anger and bitterness, you damage your ability to respond to God's forgiveness. Once you become obsessed with the wrong someone else has done, you start down a long road of anger and despair.

What, then, must you do? Consciously decide to not dwell on the offenses of others. You must replace the thoughts of hurtful treatment from others with positive thoughts of God in your life.

Break the bonds

We are next instructed in the model prayer to ask, "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." The wording in the first part of this verse can be misleading, since God tempts no one (James 1:13). Instead, "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (verse 14).

The Greek word translated "temptation" here would be more accurately rendered as "trial" or "test"—as in the New Revised Standard Version, which words this as "do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one."

The intent of Christ's words is twofold: first, that we should understand we have an unseen spiritual enemy, Satan the devil (1 Peter 5:8), from whom we need to ask God for His protection and help; and second, that we might be humble and teachable enough to learn our lessons now so we won't have to be put through sore trials to be corrected.

We must be aware that Satan will use our weaknesses against us. Perhaps your weakness is an uncontrollable temper, sexual lust, resentment toward your spouse, envy, alcohol abuse or—you fill in the blank. Satan wants to enslave us to sin, but God wants to break whatever bonds tie us down. Take your weakness to God and ask Him to protect you from situations that will tempt you to sin and from the tricks and temptations of the devil.

Jesus ends His prayer outline with an expression of confidence in God's ability to answer the prayer: "for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Thus, your prayer is to end by once again praising God.

This model prayer isn't a magic formula where you recite the special words and power is released in your life. It is an outline teaching you how to have a personal relationship with your Creator. When you have trouble praying, use this outline to personalize your talk with your Creator. Learn to pray as Jesus prayed!

God's Appointment With You

Did you know that God set aside a special day so you can have meaningful, lasting contact with Him? Nearly 6,000 years ago our Creator declared the seventh-day Sabbath a day of rest and fellowship with Him.

On any given week our fast-paced, modern lives may embrace several appointments, some of which we don't relish keeping. Few look forward to a tooth-extraction date with the dentist or even a periodic medical checkup. There's no telling what our physician may discover.

Of course most health-care professionals seek to lengthen our lives and make them more pleasant. Yet no matter how capable and competent, they cannot deal effectively with the wide-ranging scope of our human anxieties and uncertainties, along with our financial, work and marital problems.

Only God has the inherent ability to deliver us from all our problems. Only His Word can tell us what our priorities ought to be.

Driving us far from God

Yet our modern societies are not designed to begin, build and enhance a proper relationship with our Creator. Instead, our society mostly widens the gap between God and ourselves—driving us far away from the divine help we all need to cope with life in an increasingly complex, fast-paced world.

Many today are in a state of perpetual confusion, being weighed down with various problems and anxieties. "Hurry sickness" is one symptom and has become the malaise of our Western world. Life in the fast lane is taking a tragic toll.

One journalist frankly confessed: "I am pathologically impatient and incapable of waiting for anything. I'm always stomping out of shops, bars or restaurants because the [line is] too long and I can't be bothered to wait." Today we hear of road rage—and even supermarket-cart rage! As a result of our chronic impatience and always being in a hurry, some become miserable, lonely, stressed-out and sick.

Too many of us don't sleep all that well. Many continually gorge on fast foods, not taking the time to prepare healthy meals. We've allowed time to become an enemy rather than a friend. We are badly misusing one of our most valuable resources. Most of us have lost the knack for properly budgeting our time. We don't realize how important the biblical admonition to "redeem the time" is to our whole well-being (see Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5).

We always seem to have so much to do that we find virtually no time left for regular contact with our Creator. The world has largely cast aside the biblical keys that would unlock the door to God's presence and help in our lives.

A God-like view of time

A psalm attributed to Moses gives us some much-needed perspective. "Lord," it begins, "You have been our dwelling place in all generations...Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" (Psalm 90:1-2). When God takes center stage in our minds, we start to think differently—to mirror His thoughts rather than our own.

But all of us grow older every day, and the clock is ticking. Our physical lives are composed of just so much time. Many today are already past the 70 years the psalm mentions and are wondering just how much time is left to them.

As the psalm states: "We finish our lives like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away" (verses 9-10).

Our Creator wants us to grasp the implications of the fact that we won't live forever in the flesh. We all need to learn to use our time properly: "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (verse 12, emphasis added throughout).

Our visionary thoughts should extend to a future time beyond our physical lives. God offers the gift of eternal life to those who meet His conditions and surrender their wills to His. But we have to take sufficient time now to think about our real future in the age to come.

Enter God's seventh-day Sabbath!

A day devoted to God

Leviticus 23 is one of the great chapters of the Bible. When we truly understand its implications, it becomes a divinely revealed map of God's plan and purpose for humankind.

It begins: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: "The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [sacred assemblies, NIV], these are My feasts"'" (verses 1-2). God is the Revealer of truth, and Moses is the agent speaking directly with the people on His behalf. These are God's festivals, and He has exclusive rights to them. They belong to Him and not to any person or group of people.

The Hebrew word translated "feasts" here is mo'edim, which means "appointed times" (verse 4) or "appointments" as we would say today.

The first one mentioned is the weekly Sabbath—to be observed from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings" (verse 3).

The rest of the chapter is devoted exclusively to seven yearly festivals containing seven Holy Days (annual Sabbaths). As verse 4 states, "These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times." The intriguing explanation of their significance is beyond the scope of this article. To help you better understand them, we recommend that you read our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.

Here we concentrate on your divine appointment with God set for every seventh day.

Observing the Sabbath day

We all need rest from our general labor and occupational work. So the Creator commands us to rest every seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). The Sabbath commandment actually dates from creation since God Himself rested on that first seventh day and sanctified it—set it apart—as an example for all mankind, beginning with Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:1-3).

Spiritual fellowship with others of like mind is one of the most beneficial tonics to the human psyche. We all need it! Of course, this can only succeed in and through our fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). Successful relationships, whether with God or man, all require quality time.

A weekly day of rest enables us to use the other six days much more profitably. People who work seven days a week generally burn out sooner rather than later. As well as physical and mental rest, we need sufficient time to meditate, thinking about those matters that bring us special meaning and divine purpose.

The Sabbath provides time and space for families, couples and friends to draw closer together. This seventh-day rest provides precious time for prayer and to read and study the Bible, the book that tells us how to live in ways that are infinitely rewarding, purposeful and fulfilling. It is also a time for assembling with others for collective worship, as the term "convocation" in Leviticus 23:3 denotes a commanded assembly (compare Hebrews 10:24-25).

Observing the Sabbath is an integral part of the Ten Commandments. It is no less valid a commandment than those six specifically designed to cover our relationships with other human beings—do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery, etc. It is one of the vital first four that help us to express love to our Creator, worshipping Him in a proper and respectful manner.

All too many in mainstream Christendom are either dismissive or ignorant of this weekly get-together with their Creator and are missing out on the spiritual edification that observing the seventh-day Sabbath provides. Why not start keeping your weekly appointment with God?