Day 284: Behold! How They All Do So Love One Another?
Read: 1 Peter 4:7 - 11
Behold! How they love one another. You know something? I pray that you
will all look closely at of all things not just the words that I have
used, but at the punctuation too. You will notice how in the title
of the devotion I have used a '!?' implying a significant question and
perhaps even an understandable and inspirational answer is soon to be
forthcoming. Then in my opening sentence, I used only a period with the
'!' implying a simple unspoken 'ho hum' 'so what' 'big deal' 'who cares'
'shrug of the shoulders' interest on the part of the observer. What if I were to have used two '!' instead? How does that change the perceived true depth of meaning of the whole opening phrase?
Why does it even make a difference what punctuation gets used? Am I trying too hard to confuse you with a grammar lesson? Is it an exercise in semantics,
the study of meaning that is used for understanding human expression
through language? Or is it perhaps some means of focusing the observer
just how it is so easy for anyone of us, based on our own personal
experience, to interpret or misinterpret this thing called love. We
observe an interaction between people and right away we try to interpret
if something is obviously going on' within the relationship we observe. Play around with punctuation yourself first as a Christian observing Christian, then observing 'Gentile'.
Ah! Those Gentiles!.? Those non believers!.? Those over there in the
corner!.? Yes, I am afraid so! Behold! How They Love One Another!.? We
treat them nice because we want them to like us. We treat them nice
because we want to have fun with them, or we want to have a peaceful
holiday celebration. We treat them nice because we have to work with
them or live right next door to them or go to school with them. We treat
them nice because we want to give a good impression for witnessing. Uh
oh!.? I used that word 'witnessing'!.? I can hear it in your thoughts
right now 'yeah, so what is the big deal here'!.? Well you should spend some time praying about that very phrase!
Let me help you out with that!.? Galatians 5:15 '15 If you bite and
devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.'
Whoa!.? Stop the presses!.? Am I implying something here? You decide
that for yourself!.? We treat Christians like dirt -- ignore them, talk
about them, fight with them?.! It would seem to me we have got it so backwards!.? We need to treat believers better than we treat unbelievers!.? Change a bit the inflection of your voice each time. Can you tell the difference in each meaning? Do you believe it really makes any difference how you "Behold how they all do so love one another? Should it make any difference to you how the 'Gentiles' behold!.? How they do all so have love for one another? You decide!.? But decide soon!
Let Us Pray: Almighty and Everlasting God, we thank You and praise You
for Your so extravagant love that gives us hope, joy and courage!.? We
praise You for Your love that never lets us off, never lets us down, and never lets us go!.? We praise You for Your Sovereignty and Your holiness and that they are saturated in
love!.? We praise You that in Your wisdom and grace you did not leave us
to try to find You in our own strength or to doubt the reality of
Your loving-kindness and mercy!.? We praise You that every time we look
to Christ we are reminded that there is nothing He does not know about
us, nothing He does not understand about the sinful ways of our lives!.?
Mighty God, wonderful Savior, Living Lord of Love, by Your Holy Spirit
enable us to give You the praise, glory and love that You so fully
deserve. May the song that we sing, the fullness of love that we
bring to each other, whether Christian and Gentile, ring through out all
Your heavens, yea, Lord of Love, unto all the ends of the earth!!!
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: 1 Peter 4:7 - 11
Behold! How they love one another. You know something? I pray that you will all look closely at of all things not just the words that I have used, but at the punctuation too. You will notice how in the title of the devotion I have used a '!?' implying a significant question and perhaps even an understandable and inspirational answer is soon to be forthcoming. Then in my opening sentence, I used only a period with the '!' implying a simple unspoken 'ho hum' 'so what' 'big deal' 'who cares' 'shrug of the shoulders' interest on the part of the observer. What if I were to have used two '!' instead? How does that change the perceived true depth of meaning of the whole opening phrase?
Why does it even make a difference what punctuation gets used? Am I trying too hard to confuse you with a grammar lesson? Is it an exercise in semantics, the study of meaning that is used for understanding human expression through language? Or is it perhaps some means of focusing the observer just how it is so easy for anyone of us, based on our own personal experience, to interpret or misinterpret this thing called love. We observe an interaction between people and right away we try to interpret if something is obviously going on' within the relationship we observe. Play around with punctuation yourself first as a Christian observing Christian, then observing 'Gentile'.
Ah! Those Gentiles!.? Those non believers!.? Those over there in the corner!.? Yes, I am afraid so! Behold! How They Love One Another!.? We treat them nice because we want them to like us. We treat them nice because we want to have fun with them, or we want to have a peaceful holiday celebration. We treat them nice because we have to work with them or live right next door to them or go to school with them. We treat them nice because we want to give a good impression for witnessing. Uh oh!.? I used that word 'witnessing'!.? I can hear it in your thoughts right now 'yeah, so what is the big deal here'!.? Well you should spend some time praying about that very phrase!
Let me help you out with that!.? Galatians 5:15 '15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.' Whoa!.? Stop the presses!.? Am I implying something here? You decide that for yourself!.? We treat Christians like dirt -- ignore them, talk about them, fight with them?.! It would seem to me we have got it so backwards!.? We need to treat believers better than we treat unbelievers!.? Change a bit the inflection of your voice each time. Can you tell the difference in each meaning? Do you believe it really makes any difference how you "Behold how they all do so love one another? Should it make any difference to you how the 'Gentiles' behold!.? How they do all so have love for one another? You decide!.? But decide soon!
Let Us Pray: Almighty and Everlasting God, we thank You and praise You for Your so extravagant love that gives us hope, joy and courage!.? We praise You for Your love that never lets us off, never lets us down, and never lets us go!.? We praise You for Your Sovereignty and Your holiness and that they are saturated in love!.? We praise You that in Your wisdom and grace you did not leave us to try to find You in our own strength or to doubt the reality of Your loving-kindness and mercy!.? We praise You that every time we look to Christ we are reminded that there is nothing He does not know about us, nothing He does not understand about the sinful ways of our lives!.?
Mighty God, wonderful Savior, Living Lord of Love, by Your Holy Spirit enable us to give You the praise, glory and love that You so fully deserve. May the song that we sing, the fullness of love that we bring to each other, whether Christian and Gentile, ring through out all Your heavens, yea, Lord of Love, unto all the ends of the earth!!!
http://www.youtube.com/
HE REIGNS -[Music Video] - The Newsboys
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Steve Taylor & Peter Furler Copyright © 2003 Ariose Music / EMI Christian Music Publishing HE
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