September 25, 2022 . . .

We live in an age of “outrage” where people so often seem to be looking for a reason to be angry. How we build the church as “living stones” is more important than ever.  As we ponder over this particular time of mankind, it serves us well to ponder over a particular verse.  I Peter 2:17 tells us to “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood.  Fear God. Honor the king.”  We acknowledge that the “brotherhood” is our fellow Christians and that the “king” is our present-day government. God commands that we honor our government even when it is difficult. Even when it seems hard to honor all people and love all the brotherhood, we were given the opportunity through our Lord Jesus Christ to love them all with the “agape” love that Jesus taught us. “Fear God?” you ask. Yes, He is the Almighty Creator of the universe and all that is in it. He can smite or bless whenever He wants. Like a parent or grandparent who disciplines a child, God loves us enough to set high expectations and let us know when we are wrong. In today’s world there are not enough people who fear God or His Word as we should. God is the only one we should try to please. Bottom line . . . the truest form of love is agape love and that should be our goal for everyone. Humble yourself to love others, honor others, and fear God first.