Posted on Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 09:19 a.m. (EST) & 07:49 p.m. (IST), FEB 2014 Edition
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“Valiantly Always Love
Emphasizing Now Totally Immanuel's Nurturing Emancipation!" (V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
SCRIPTURE:
“Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1
Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV)
APPROACH QUESTION:
OBSERVATIONS:
I learned in my study of Scripture that
whatever is repeated in Scripture has a significance for me to focus
on. In this case, love is used 11-14 times in this passage with
other repetitions emphasizing a comparison/contrasts. There are 8
things love is and love is not.
What love is:
1. Love is
patient
What love is not:
1. Love is not
envious.
INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself the significance of what
love is not?
APPLICATION:
That is a terrible predicament to be in
knowing I cannot love as Scripture defines love! That shows the
condition of my soul and the depravity of it which can only be fixed
by the One who made the criteria. It needs fixing because sin is
what depraves our soul. The criteria of love can only be met by the
Word. Jesus is the Word and gives Basic Instructions Before
Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E) for our lives. The acronym is actually a
Christian song.
In those instructions, I realize what a
sinner that I am and I am in need of a Savior who alone can take
away my sin and make me whole. Jesus Christ became that Savior for
me when He took my sin upon Himself and died on the cross of Calvary
shedding His precious blood so that I can have new life. He did this
for me because of His love for me. His love is what leads me to
repentance and new life. His love is what shines the light in the
darkness of my soul to receive Him.
I need the help of Jesus to fix my soul so
that sin does not control me but His love controls me. When that happens, I can love others as I should as long as my focus is on the
Lord meditating on His Word day and night.
As I understand Jesus' love for me and
allow His love to permeate my life, the fruit will be reflected in
the lives of others that I come across. Even when I mess up, I can
know whom to go to that can help me love as I should. This is
exciting to know that I can love because Jesus first loved me. It
starts with Jesus and the initiation process of love started with
God and not man.
I can only love as God wants me to love
because I let God's love rule me. God is love and He has to be an
intricate part of my life to love in the different kinds of love
whether it is family-based, romantic-based, or friendship-based.
When I asked the Lord Jesus for a wife, my condition was
that she has to love the Lord Jesus more than me. I should never
take first place in her life over the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus
blessed me with my prayerful, loving, understanding, and supportive
wife Chandraleela. Thank you Jesus. We
already had a very special Valentine's Day moment this morning
exchanging gifts and praying. This would not have been possible in
our own lives without the touch of Christ in our marriage and
bringing us together. Thank you Jesus!
HOW
GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E:
Once at the
hospital, there is a GREAT PHYSICIAN that waits. The sick are slowly
gathered from all corners of the earth and told about this
hospital. This hospital is called CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION and
the EMERGENCY WARD is called GOLGOTHA.
The GREAT PHYSICIAN
is not like other doctors who can only treat patients with physical
ailments but this GREAT PHYSICIAN is much more and knows He has to
stay 72 HOURS there for every dying person who came be healed.
He knows what He has
to do! This GREAT PHYSICIAN knew that only His BLOOD can wipe away
this epidemic VIRUS, so for you and me He went to the blood
transfusion room where people were about to die. There He lay down
on the bed made of wood.
The surgeons walk
into the room. They turn this GREAT PHYSICIAN on His back. Instead
of using an IV, a WHIP with sharp glass, etc is used to draw out the
BLOOD from the GREAT PHYSICIAN'S back! It does not stop there but to
elevate the head on the bed of wood, a CROWN OF THORNS is used which
draws more BLOOD.
As the head is
elevated, the GREAT PHYSICIAN's hands are stretched wide on the
wooden bed. Then the feet are bound together. This is done for the
BLOOD transfusion to begin. Instead of using an IV, NAILS and a
HAMMER is used. The NAILS are pounded through the hands into the
wooden bed with a HAMMER so the BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved.
The NAILS are pounded through the feet into the wooden bed with a
HAMMER so more BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. As the BLOOD
continues to flow from the GREAT PHYSICIAN's body, the GREAT
PHYSICIAN flat lines. Then the surgeons insert a SPEAR into the
heart to make sure all the BLOOD is out. All the BLOOD is out!
Now, the GREAT
PHYSICIAN is moved into the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE being guarded
by security.
Now the CALVARY
HOSPITAL OF SALVATION has a BLOOD DONOR whose BLOOD can be
used to save everyone there from this EPIDEMIC VIRUS.
Those dying need to
be taken there to receive the BLOOD transfusion that is available.
However, the BLOOD will not be forced upon those dying! THE PUREST
RED ANTIDOTE is only given to those that are willing to receive the
BLOOD TRANSFUSION so they could LIVE.
All that accept the
BLOOD are being CLEANSED of this EPIDEMIC VIRUS in their system that
is infecting the mind, body, and soul. This BLOOD goes into the
dying person's mind, body, and soul and eats away at the virus
cleaning them and making them pure.
This VIRUS is
SIN.
The BLOOD is the
PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, JESUS CHRIST.
The WOODEN BED is
the CROSS OF CHRIST where the dying need to be led too.
72 HOURS is the 3
days!
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
MORGUE is the tomb where Jesus was buried for 3 days.
LATER, there is a
commotion at the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN is
not there anymore and the ANGELS that visit tell loved ones who came
there, that THE GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ALIVE. This is the RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST.
It is true even to
this day, for all that come to the CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION
(Cross of Calvary) come to realize that His CLEANSING BLOOD shed on
the WOODEN BED (CROSS) will never run out. Anyone infected who wants
to be healed of their sickness can accept what Jesus did for them
and be covered in His precious CLEANSING BLOOD always each and
everyday because of His love for us.
"For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in Him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life!" (John
3:16, NIV)
For Valentine's, love is seen in the shape
of roses, in the shape of hearts, but for me love was seen in the
shape of a cross.
As an Indian growing up, I never heard of
Valentine's Day. Little did I know that Jesus would reach me on Feb
14 years ago which was just a date for me at the time. On that
day, Jesus Christ came into my life and became my Lord and Savior.
It is on that day I had given my life to Him.
Only when I was asked to put a free ad
regarding love did I discover the significance of Feb 14 which was
celebrated as Valentine's Day.
I did take out an ad and my ad said, "Jesus
loves me, Jesus loves you, if you want to learn more about Jesus,
watch WPCB Channel 40". That was my first moment of evangelism and
it was done in writing.
Knowing that Jesus reached me on a day that
American's celebrate as Valentine's Day has become so much special
to me because it is on that day that I was born-again. It is on that
day that my spiritual birthday in Christ began.
It is Valentine's Day that makes me reflect
on the love Jesus Christ has for me and how He became my Valentine
even when I did not know the significance of that day until later.
Jesus is my Valentine and He showed it on the cross for me. I want
Jesus to be my Valentine everyday taking His Word for my
instructions for daily living knowing that 'Breathe In Bible Live
Eternally' becomes a reality in Christ alone.
No one but Christ alone could save me and
He did save me. He continues to work in my life showing His love for
me wanting me to imitate His example. I want to do that and as
exciting as Valentine's Day is to love our significant other, it can
become that much more exciting and fruitful with Jesus Christ in the
mix. My wife and I have experienced that with our precious daughter
Esther
who loves to raise her hands and say (Hall)
for Hallelujah when we praise the Lord.
Any relationship without Christ will falter
because without Christ, living out 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 or any other
Scripture is not possible at all. It is Christ's love in my own life
that can help me love others as I focus on Him wanting Him to be my
first Valentine. He has become my Valentine and He can becomes yours
too. Oh yes, He can friend. He will help you becomes someone else's
Valentine too in His timing as He has done in my life with my
precious Chandraleela.
I ask you now dear friend, 'How will you be
someone's Valentine using 16?'
I have done that
friend and know that at the foot of the cross where Jesus died
shedding His precious cleansing blood for my sin and the sins of the
world, I can find forgiveness and grace.
Thanks be to God
that Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection made a way for
me to be saved on that Valentine's Day. He can save you too.
To this day, all who
call on the Name of the Lord will be saved when they acknowledge
what Jesus Christ has done for them and what He can do for them.
Friend, Jesus loves
you so much and if you were the only one living on earth, Jesus
would have done the same for you. What I shared with you was an
analogy but in real life it has happened. Jesus went to the cross
for you and me and His precious cleansing blood was shed so you and
I could have life. Jesus came back to life 72 hours later and is
alive but His blood continues to heal people on every corner of the
earth to those that accept Him.
You can become the
Valentine of Jesus letting the world know that Jesus is your first
love. You should do that friend knowing how much Jesus loves you.
When you make Jesus your first Valentine, everything else will fall
in place in its season. The Lord knows the seasons and what fruit to
bear in that season. When Jesus becomes your all in all, your
perspective will be changed and your delight in Him will give you
the desires of your heart and all you do will prosper according to
His will.
So, make Jesus your
#1 and leave the others things to Him such as who will love you, who
you should marry, when to be engaged, etc.
Focusing on Jesus
and wanting Him in your life, will make all the other relationships
fruitful and love will be lived out using 16. I can only love when I let Jesus show me how to
live out 16 forever. You can too!
Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your
Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the
Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!
May the Lord Jesus guide you in
His love leading you! Amen!
"Valiantly Always Love
Emphasizing Now Totally Immanuel's Nurturing Emancipation!" (V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E)/"How
will you be someone's Valentine using 16?"
If you would like to invite Jesus
Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you
can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's
promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your
eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special
time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this
prayer, meaning it in your heart. You can invite the GREAT
PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus, I want
to be free. I don’t know everything about you. I still have a lot of
questions. What I do know is that you died on the cross for my sins.
When it comes to sin, I am a paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with
this deadly disease known as sin. I am not perfect but a sinner who
needs your cleansing blood to clean me of my sin. I confess to you
my sin and repent of my sin. I know you have forgiven me when you
died on the cross and shed your blood. I want to accept that
forgiveness. Thank you for shedding your cleansing precious blood
for me. You were nailed to the cross because of me. It is like I
actually held the hammer and pounded the nails. Thank you for
willingly dying for me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and
pain for me. Thank you for doing that to set me free. I come to the
cross and ask you for your healing in my life. Thank you for the
power of your love using your Blood to redeem all humanity that
comes to you. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give
us Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we
are. I love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I
come to you now and accept you into my heart. Please Jesus come into
my heart and make my heart your home. Give me a transfusion of
change. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the
rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus for coming into my
heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me
Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please
be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and
Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in Your blood and His
judgment passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and
answered me. Thank you for being with me Lord. Thank you for saving
me. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I now
belong to you and never need to be alone! You will always be with me
and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
May my spoken words
and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But
beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but
there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.
As a professional, it is not too late to join a
church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this new year of 2014! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Spend time in His word and let the Lord
speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out
the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.
Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church
fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be
part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the
Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in
Bible LIVE Eternally!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Love in Christ,
Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace,
Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a
life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I
need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround
me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your
presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you
love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek
your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for
your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case.
Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
(Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)
If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.
No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in
and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with
the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend.
You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word
reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you
and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before
moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to
which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be
part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible
believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to
Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who
brings us hope, healing, and help!
No matter who you are, it is not ever too late
to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly
encourage each of you to come to Transformers Small Group on Friday
nights at 7:00 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday
mornings at 9:30 a.m. for prayer, 11:30 a.m. for worship, 10:30 a.m. for
Sunday School, and 12:30 p.m. for fellowship lunch.
May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and
forever! Amen!
Feel free to email
me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with,
talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is
412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB) |