Follow the Spirit

As Earth from the Sun draws Rays each dawn.

Cleansing the air we breathe.

Food nourishes creatures each day.

Oceans to streams quench thirst.

Passion is to Marriage and

Cries to Infants.

Children at play.

World at Work.

Kindness and Care for Mankind.

As Your Grace is Overpowering

to Us, O God.

Your Son, Our Savior.

Divine Love, Eternal without End.

God Defends.

(Isa 1:24) Therefore the Lord says, The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies.”

(Deut 30:7) "Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.”

Special Day at Market. Before I even set up at 8:30 am, people arrived coming for ministry, healing, and witnessing. The Holy Spirit was on a roll. Usually, I'm off to a slow start, but Jesus was off to a jump start. I prayed for bandaged arms, wrists, feet, wheelchair persons, kidneys, disabled, aged, and young, some dozen people. God pointed them out. A few pastors came by and talked at length to get witness ideas. People came by and chatted intermittently. Different cultures appreciate when I show them interest. I'm mixed with God's heritage in family anyway, American Puritan, Indian, Black. I've elbowed with Orientals, Spanish, Scandinavians, Hebrews. Muslims have saved my life. I love foreign food. My Dad taught me all are my Brothers and Sisters in the Family of Man. I contacted “420” men, women, and childre, a few pregnant ladies. I don't know why others won't join me. It's so easy and rewarding to witness in the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.

Giving generously is the key to receiving abundantly in God's Love.

Modern people don't know how to love sacrificially.

But never ask man for your needs, ask God to provide.

Giving money to the poor, but not just money.

Bless the ones you meet with God's Love,

a wise word, a kind deed, a caring hug, a true kiss,

a heart gift. Living in God's Love, seeking always to give yourself,

you will receive his surprise supernatural Miracles and Blessings.

Prove it to yourself. We have found this is absolutely true.

(3 John 1:2) “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things

and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

Seek to give your spouse Joy;

make a happy spouse,

and he/she will make a happy union.

Notice, I didn't say “give things.”

“Give Joy.”

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Practice the art of giving to

seek God's blessings.

Market, Saturday. Grateful for Earl, Tina, Cassidy, Pastor, John Paul, Linda helping. “400” contacts made, Men, Women, Children. God is sending more and more. Special Blessings, God who Loves them all. God answers every prayer and touches every contact, even a resistant reply can't get by. One Veteran nicely made me a special cross of nails for ministry, I'll wear around my neck.

Market, special witness in the Jesus Harvest. “344” contacts to our quiet shady new corner. Earl, Tina, and Cassidy came to help. The Holy Spirit nudged instantly. Some came quick, very supportive, and friendly. “I'm glad you're doing this.” Some came bashful, but seeking prayer or ministry. Some dared to approach curiously and cautiously, not wanting to be church-caught. But our aim is to share Jesus. Some reluctant believers wanted not to involve themselves publicly with Jesus at all, and said so. Some feared God, afraid to even pass us. But I call out, “God bless you.” I always want them to know. You see, the Holy Spirit backs me.

"If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals," said Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Couples relate together in a successful marriage. They discuss, they talk, they share daily life together. True, they sometimes differ, they argue. But they respect each other. They differ about issues, but they do not generally attack each other cruelly with name calling. Further, they forgive fast. “Kiss slow, Forgive fast.” They come to agreement on family issues and they respect their children fairly. Discipline, money, problems, troubles, difficulties, are treated the same way. No one is perfect. Jesus is perfect. Issues are can be slow in resolution, but mutual agreement is a goal. Peace is the objective.

“The main thing in a marriage is to live life together in Christ,” my wife of 47 years said.

Imperatively, this means to pray daily together, to read the Bible together, to worship in the same place or church together. “A family that prays together, stays together.” Also, we recommend holding family mini-worship or devotions at home. I remember my Dad always blessed us children each night on the way to bed. Something like, “May our Heavenly Father bless you in the wonder and power of his love, and give you a peaceful sleep in the Name of Jesus.” My wife and I now enjoy reading five psalms each morning or a scripture reading to start our prayers. As we grow older, it's our start time for the day with God.

Blessings to you,

Bill Hunt

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Ways To Witness To the World

People watch what you do and remember how they feel about you, far more than they hear what you say.

Living for Jesus is Serving Others

(Photo c. Bill Hunt).

Live in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

How: Shine with the Fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22 NIV).

Love as Jesus Loved.

How: “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12 NIV). Walk as Jesus walked (per 1 John 2:6). To do so, you must know the Jesus of the Bible.

Pray Daily for the World.

How: God's love is not limited to your locale. Men severely lack faith to affect the whole world or their own nation. But, Prayer is the greatest Power on Earth. “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matt 6:10 NIV).

Be One with God.

How: Is this not God's objective for us? (per John 17:21). Living Love for God and Man is the great commands. Faith is the power. Prayer is the means.

Carry a Repentant Heart.

How: No man is without sin, except Jesus. We must know who He is, the Creator, and who we are, the creatures.

“This is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isa 66:2 NIV). 

Always Forgive.

How: As Jesus said, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins” (Matt 6:15 NIV). Men widely disregard Jesus' warning.

Don't take Offense.

How: Golden Keys to Love. “It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor 13:5 NIV).

Be a Rock of Integrity.

How: “Till I die, I will not deny my integrity” (Job 27:5 NIV). “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts” (Ps 51:6 NIV).

Listen to the Heart of Others.

How: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19 NIV). Sensitive, sacrificial listening, means to be more willing to hear another, than yourself.

Trust in God with all your Heart.

How: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov 3:9-10 NIV).

– Bill Hunt, World Afire

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Getting Along with Marriage and Friends

Precious values mark marriage and friends like spattered blossoms.

Love is Spattered Blossoms (Bill Hunt Photo) 

As men and women approach the age of integrity, they realize points of value in relations, and they want to help others. Here's points my wife and I learned and want to share with you.

1. Forgive immediately, you must. It's not an option. You can not enter Heaven unless you forgive completely.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt 6:14-15 NKJV).

2. Give others time to heal. Don't close in on them with judgment. Peter denied Jesus three times the night of the betrayal. But Jesus gave him space before he reaffirmed him three times on the beach at breakfast.

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep” (John 21:17 NKJV).

3. Never take or keep offense. Block it. Scientists are learning more and more about cellular memory, how the entire body remembers trauma emotionally and stores it away problematically causing our spiritual, physical, and emotional conditions. Let it go.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails (1Cor 13:4-8 NKJV).

4. People do not realize God forgives perfectly. To forgive perfectly, he must also forget perfectly. God does not forgive partially, he restores our innocence. He wipes the slate clean as we repent. It is only the devil who tries to harass the repentant servant of past sins; he lies.

Then He (God) adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb 10:17 NKJV).

5. Divorce is not an option. It's like this, the man and the woman in marriage each gives up their own territory and must not take it back. Marriage is now God's sanctified territory. He is the overall third partner.

"So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Mt 19:6 NKJV).

Friendship can last, too.

– Bill Hunt

World in Christ

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Marriage God-Arranged

Yes, God can bring husbands and wives together for those who seek his Will.

   

God arranges marriage for those who seek his Will. 

 

(Forsythe Fotography c. 2011)

For two months, I did not see that girl I spotted. I had no information about her. Finally, one September Sunday, I walked downstairs to a corridor crowded with people waiting for the first service to let out.

"She's coming!" Very quietly, but definitely, the Holy Spirit whispered  in my heart. This was a new experience for me.

"Wait! In just a moment, she's coming around down the stairway." I dared to listen sensitively to the voice inside.

Was this true, or was I imagining it? It was a very special moment for me to realize the Lord's prompting. I was deeply impressed with expectation in my heart and waited obediently, wondering if I was truly about to see her again. Now at the far end of the corridor, I planted my shoulders against the wall and my shoes firmly on the floor, stiff as a board

Sure enough! In about fifteen minutes of faith waiting, the coed appeared on the landing and entranced down the staircase, step by step, like a princess in regal beauty entering the grand ballroom. She came down the stairs and diplomatically greeted professors and students lined all along the corridor. I now noticed she was making her way through the crowd person-by-person stepping sideways towards me. I waited.

"Oh!" she said when she finally stood before me and smiled. "Hello! You owe me a cup of coffee." I could hardly breathe.

"I have never seen a wedding where the Holy Spirit was so strongly present," said the elderly Pastor Liddy on the day we married in Mary's home town.

"You two deserve each other!" said our friend with a big, broad smile, Charles Borgognoni, chaplain of the Syracuse University Football Team. He knew our passion and vitality very well through campus activities. With his famous Italian smile and Friar Tuck tonsorial, he officiated at our wedding.

I think we husbands should hold very dear the great gift for our lives.

"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22 NIV).
--Bill Hunt

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God Selects a Wife

I am absolutely convinced God divinely intends our

 

spouse.

"I am absolutely convinced God divinely intends our

 

spouse." (By Bill Hunt c. 2011)

I sat down on the left side of the stage podium and listened to this coed play the magnificent organ with exposed silver pipes. Refrains sounded all the way to the high ceiling and echoed the melody throughout the auditorium. This organist sat behind a white shielding screen in the center.

I wasn't actively looking for a wife, but God held other plans for me. I had returned to Syracuse University for my second year of special studies. On this Sunday in July, I enjoyed reading the scriptures from the podium during service in Crouse Auditorium at the Music School.

This coed played the magnificent organ through high exposed silver pipes. The refrains ran all the way to the ceiling and echoed the melody throughout the auditorium. This organist sat behind a white shielding screen in the center.

Visible from behind the screen, I could only watch her gorgeous energetic legs busily playing the organ pedals as her hands played the keys. There were thousands of attractive coeds on campus, but at a certain moment in the service, this brunette stood up from behind the screen where I could see her.

"O Heavenly Father, I want one like that!" I whispered, hardly daring to believe the honesty of my own prayer.

I was serious. Her beauty overwhelmed me. Not only was she a great musician, she appeared very intelligent, tall, and definitely attractive.

"There's a little shop down the street serving hot chocolate and cream donuts. Would you care to have some with me?" I gulped and asked her after the service was over.

"No, I don't even know you," she said.

"My name's Bill," I flustered.

"Beside, I have my friends with me. I'll take a rain check," she answered and walked off.

My heart sank. I walked outside without talking to anyone, found my car, and started to drive away around the back of the building.

Suddenly, I noticed her and her lady friends entering a parked car as I passed.

At her car door, she turned and glanced a very flirtatious smile at me. My disappointment jumped back to excitement. “I'd like to meet that girl!” And I held the faith I would.

--Bill Hunt

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Rules of Love

How should we love our spouse, our family, our acquaintances, indeed all mankind?

How then should we love? (Bill Hunt c 2011)

 

How then should we love? The 2^nd Great Commandment expresses the rule of love for relationships. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” pretty well gives us a concept on how this should function. However, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 (NIV) gives us the details, the Rules of Love.

Love is patient. I will calmly wait and endure a situation even if it inconvenient, without complaining.

Love is kind. I will be considerate, warm, generous, sensitive, and understanding toward others. This is an expression of love suiting all relations in society with or without intimacy.

It does not envy. I will not be jealous of, nor covet another person's benefits, friends, or possessions. In fact, I will rejoice for his good fortune.

It does not boast. I will not brag or talk with pride about my accomplishments, performance, or other benefits. In fact, silence is best. Let others proclaim your deeds, my dad always said.

It is not proud. I will not consider myself with undo merit above others, nor express myself in such a way. I know my strengths are counterbalanced by my weaknesses. Of all things I do know or accomplish, there are far more I don't.

It is not rude. I will not consider or treat others with contempt or disdain. There is much hidden value in every person. Therefore, I will treat all others with respect.

It is not self-seeking. Every baby is born with a give-me attitude for survival. I realize the noble measure of adult maturity is rather giving, self-sacrificing, and promoting the benefit of others. “For in giving, we receive.”

It is not easily angered. Anger is an emotion of defense that can be justified or not. Expressing wrath in relationships can be devastating. In fact, the scripture calls it murder. In relationships, the advice to never let the sun set on your anger is best. Your relation needs peace, but so do you.

It keeps no record of wrongs. Forgiveness is the key to relationship. And forgiveness works if it is unconditional. It matters not one speck who is at fault or who offended first. The first one to heart-fully forgive wins! When one repents, God himself perfectly forgives and perfectly forgets. No one who fails to forgive can be admitted to eternal life.

Love does not delight in evil. Bless and do not curse. Never take the side of evil and sin. God can allow no evil or sin in his presence. The redeeming sacrifice of Jesus for us was the greatest act of love. “Never let the sin in others or the sin in yourself defeat you.”

But rejoices with the truth. God is Truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God calls us to rejoice in all things. We can do this because he is the Beginning and End of all things. No other standard will stand before him. And Joy is such a key to successful relationship!

Paul summarizes the function of Love. 

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

--Bill Hunt

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Freedom to Be

Can we be Free, really Free?

(Ballet Dancer by Al aka pintofaggs, flickr.com)

(creative commons)

 

Why can't we

just let our person go

in expressions of limitless glee?

Or let words dance

upon our ears and

see things pleasing

in our hearts

with no chains upon

our limbs?

Why can't I think of you

in anyway

I see your presence in

my delight?

Why do words have to constrict

my thoughts and I cannot

utter?

In these human shells of

here's and gone's,

you're always there –

interlocked charms –

in the golden locket of

my heart,

and there's no key.

The world can not see,

hear, feel, touch, or know,

everywhere, anywhere,

you'll be--

where the Spirit of the Lord is,

I am Free!

– bill hunt c. 2011

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God is Love!

Waiting in the light,

Oh, bright form!

flowing tresses, waves of linen silk,

our image and likeness,

Unmerited Love.

With gentle eyes, pure spirit,

ruler of angelic beings,

Oh, moonbeam, caress my heart!

Oh, Spirit!

tell me your delights,

Unconditional Love.

Fill my heart, only you can love,

play with me, your child,

hold me in your palm,

Oh, sovereign of the universe,

Ancient of Days!

Unlimited Love.

So tender, bless me,

kiss me with your words,

a tear upon my cheek,

dwell with me,

Unfailing Love.

Petal from a flower,

wipe the fluid mist,

breathe the winged fragrance

in space and time,

all truth be known,

You are Love!

-- bill hunt c. 2011

Click here --
19 Year Old Girl Stoned To Death After Winning Beauty Contest In Ukraine

“Honor Killing”: Katya Koren, 19, from the

Crimea, as a daughter of Abraham had her

blood taken violently. From death she

speaks like Hagar:

“I now see the God who sees me.”

Men are created with strength by God to protect

women and children. There is no honor in “honor

killing”! The Divine Creator and Judge of the Universe

who made Life commands: “You shall not kill.”

Jesus Meets People

If you suddenly meet Jesus face-to-face, what would you say?

"The Wonderful Catch of Fish"

 (Painting by Anton Losenko, Russian 1762)

That's what I want to ask you! What would you do walking up the street, down the sidewalk, or across the park, and you meet Jesus? What would you say to him? What would he say to you?

I'm sure people are surprised. In fact, 150,000 people die everyday and hardly one expected it. Some of 'em meet the Son of God; some of 'em don't. Those that enter the Heaven of Lights are wonderfully glorious! Those that enter the isolation of Hell, the Lake of Fire, are not. They don't meet their friends there, either. They are all alone, forever. Yes, they planned it. Every person makes his very own lifetime choice.

But let's back up. I'm walking across the park and I meet Jesus. Now, I'm a big guy. I fall to the ground with a thump. I'm in absolute awe and I'm overcome. This loving Jesus takes my arm and raises me to my feet. He's all smiles, the joyful Jesus! His brightness and cheer make me smile. I can't help it!

Most people miss the joy of Jesus in scripture. They think he walks around in solemn prayer all the time with a pale face, a British accent, and head bowed. Take another look. Yes, there's one question I just have to blubber out!

“May I follow you?”

“Yes!” he laughs with a loud, cheerful laugh. “Follow me.”

Well, what would you say if you meet him? Look at what people did in scripture.

Jesus returns from the desert encounter with Satan “on the scene.” He announces himself in the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth. Jesus' problem is he always tells the Truth. They take him up to a cliff to throw him down. Not time to die yet, he walks away.

But the devil's still around. Next Sabbath, he meets a man in the synagogue in Capernaum. This fellow is possessed with demons.

“Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? 

  Have you come to destroy us (Luke 4: 34 NIV)?”

“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him (4:35 NIV)!”

So, if you've got serious demon problems, Jesus is the right one to meet.

Don't laugh, more people have, than you recognize!

As Simon's guest, Jesus meets his mother-in-law, she's sick in bed with fever. I love to watch Jesus when he meets a man or a woman. He has profound respect for them, for the humble. He instantly healed her. She rose up and began serving her guests as a woman does. So, if you're not feeling well, he knows what to do. That evening, he laid hands on all the sick who crowded in, and he cast demons out of those restrained.

Are you ready to answer, what would you 

say, if you suddenly meet Jesus?

Jesus is preaching from a boat slightly rolling in the water's edge from the breezes at Lake Gennesaret. When he finished the lesson, Jesus took sympathy for poor Peter who fished all night long, to no avail.

“Put out in to deep water, and let down the nets for a catch (Lk 5:4 NIV).”

The nets began to break and an extra boat helps to load the overflowing fish.

“Go away from me, Lord; I am

a sinful man (Lk 5:8 NIV).”

Peter spoke from his knees in the sand.

“Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men (Lk 5:10 NIV).”

If you met Jesus face-to-face, would you stand or get on your knees or just pass out? What would you say to him? What would he say to you. I know he will speak Truth to you whoever you are. I know he will know everything about you. He already does.

The most amazing thing is he Loves you with the same Love the Father Loves you, your Creator, even with all your sins. You need to know Jesus paid the price for all your sins on his painful cross. He wants you to turn from your sins and trust your life to him for eternity. When you do, this perfect God forgives perfectly and forgets your sins, perfectly. Once more, he Loves you perfectly!

Now, again, what would you say to him?

--Bill Hunt

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How to Start a Jesus Prayer Support Group

SPECIAL GUIDE: In a Jesus Prayer Support Group, members can grow wonderfully in the Love of God and of their fellow man.

"Ministering God's Love in Prayer" (c. by Bill Hunt).

 

“For where two or three come together

in my name, there am I with them”

(Matt 18:20 NIV).

Join a prayer group to meet Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, to enter salvation, to grow as a Christian, to find support for your Life in the Body of Christ. As well, to turn from sin to God, to seek healing from the pains you have suffered, to grow in deeper love with God and man, to enter the fruits, gifts, and ministries of the Holy Spirit.

Join with two or three others.

Don't worry about numbers. Let God take care of the numbers. Meet weekly at the agreed time and in the same place. Never cancel a meeting unless absolutely necessary. One or two persons, depending on the makeup of the group, can be recognized as servant-leaders indicated by God.

In the normal meeting, first turn your attention to worship God exclusively, then share your personal concerns in prayer. Minister healing in small groups when necessary. A leader can briefly teach a lesson on a chapter in scripture, and the group can then discuss it. In all things, love each other with the Love of Christ.

Imagine what it is like to sit and talk with Jesus.

Share your concerns with the God of the Universe. He will cover you with his tremendous blessings of grace and with his healing love. Always seek to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph 1:18-19 NIV).

Actively reach out in witness to others, as well. Bring them into your group. When your group grows to twelve persons, determine a leader and divide the group.

Follow Biblical teachings in all things.

Each person can have one vote. Seek the mind of God in all matters. To do so, many groups find it valuable to wait for a consensus agreement rather than a majority vote.

Members of the prayer group can commit themselves to ardently walking in the Love of Jesus and to daily personal prayer and scripture reading. Allow for mistakes and failures. When failures come, exercise repentance and forgiveness as keys to relationship in both private or community life. This is most important.

Members of the group can encourage attendance with a Bible believing church, if available, one that expresses the manifestations of the Holy Spirit as in the New Testament. Members will likely adhere to different churches and serve as salt, light, and yeast in the world.

--Bill Hunt

Q.  So why not start a JESUS PRAYER Support Group in your home?  Make your Christianity come to life!  Contact me if you have questions. 

Is Our Christian Love True?

Being a Christian can mean persecution and death in ancient or modern times, but what is this love so truly marked in ardent believers?

How does our Christian Love compare to the Early Church? (Artist Unknown, 1901).

 

An ancient letter caused me to compare our modern practice of Christian love with that of the Early Church. Jesus clearly exemplified love for us. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” (NIV: John 13:35).

Paul defined the church foundation for love. “Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all (NIV: Eph. 4:2-6).” Have we utterly failed? 

 

Would our attitudes of love towards one another be the same as the early Christians in the first age after Christ? A young disciple of Paul the Apostle, Mathetes, writes to Diognetus, a tutor to M. Aurelius, a Roman nobleman, a revealing letter about AD 130. This very earliest of letters from a Christian disciple is well worth contemplating. He describes the early Christians to his correspondent as follows. I here emphasize the points of discussion.

Pilgrims in common: They (the Christians) dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Abortion and marriage: They marry, as do all others. They beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring. Living spiritually: They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh.

Citizens of Heaven: They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, surpass the laws by their lives. Persecuted: They love all men, and they are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned. They are put to death and restored to life. Materially detached: They are poor, yet make many rich. They are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all. They are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified.

Reviled: They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified. They are reviled and bless. They are insulted and repay the insult with honor. They do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. Joyful Witness: When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life. They are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks. Love exemplified: Yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their own hatred. To sum up all in one word: what the soul is in the body, the Christians are in the world. (Source of Ancient Letter: Roberts, A. and Donaldson, J., eds. “The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus.” Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1, The Apostolic Fathers, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Mass., USA 1999.)

I think we would do well to weigh our love as modern Christians in the light of Christ and these early Christians. Such consideration should remind us that Christianity is not intended as a religion but a love relationship exemplified through Jesus, the Son of God. How do we really fare in living the love of Christ?

– Bill Hunt    

Christian Love is the most important thing we do.
                             

Christmas Love is Christian Love

Christmas love: an innkeeper in Bethlehem, some wealthy wise men, a poor widow, a sinful woman, a stranger, and how about you?

JESUS WAS BORN IN A LIVESTOCK MANGER by Bill Hunt (c) 2010.

Christmas love gives someone a reason to believe. Spending wads of money in material giving on commercial gifts to meet a felt cultural obligation falls way short. That's just a scratch on the surface of the glass. The real meaning is found in the heart.

Take a look at that unspoken citizen in Bethlehem who loaned his humble animal manger to a traveling stranger who brought a young wife in imminent labor eighty miles on a donkey.

“Sorry, friend, I don't have a private room in my house; but I own a manger in the side of the hill there. You can use the fresh straw I placed today. My livestock are very tame. It looks like you better hurry.”

Those Magi were likely very wealthy wise men. Even so, they traveled far by faith through sandy dune deserts and wastelands following their star to find the Messiah.

“Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11 NIV).

What is Christmas love?

Astounding generosity, noted Jesus, was displayed by the poor widow who gave two small coins to the temple offering.

“I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all these others. All the people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:3-4 NIV).

There was a sinful woman who anointed, washed, and kissed the feet of Jesus with an expensive alabaster jar of perfume. She dried his feet lovingly with her hair. Jesus spoke to his host, the objecting Pharisee, Simon.

“You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much” (Luke 7:44-47 NIV).

This Christmas find someone

who needs Christmas love!

Jesus told the story of the Samaritan who came across a man beaten and robbed left by the roadside (after a priest and a Levite sauntered by.) The stranger poured oil and wine on the victim's bloody wounds and bandaged them. He took the man to an inn and paid for all the expenses of his care with his own money.

“Which of these three, the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan, do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:30-37).

Christmas love is not found in placing barriers, limitations, or restraints on giving.

Christmas love is self-sacrificing, unlimited love.

“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!” (Phil. 2:5-8 NIV).

Christmas love is self-sacrificing love. Christianity is not a religion; it's a person who showed us how. Christmas love gives someone a reason to believe. Christmas love is the love of Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Be free to say it.

Bill Hunt

This Christmas, find someone you can help who needs love. You won't have far to look. Leave us a comment about it!

Christmas music!