Author Archive: joe

Apparently love has a lot to do with everything – shopping, driving, living or being. Love is both something that "feels good" and something that we experience. It can be both a noun and a verb – a "thing" and an action. Actually, the word is rooted in more than one word, but in english we end up with the usual confusion. Maybe that's why we have so many problems understanding one another.

Suffice it to say that without a course in other languages, some of us have a requirement to "love one another." Those words were spoken by Jesus 2000 years ago, and their demands have never diminished. Jesus was talking about giving ourselves up for one another – doing for when we don't feel like it or don't like being "there" or have to give up our time or money.

He even tied it to "being a servant" when he got down on the floor and washed his disciple's feet. Remember, He was the "Master". He was the boss. Yet, instead of commanding His followers to come wash the dust off His feet He did for them. You can check it out yourself in John 13 (read the whole chapter).

What brought me to this point was the second half of First John, chapter 3 where he says "we should love one another;" and then he follows in verse 18 with "love…in deed and truth." Love here and in John 13 was action, not some weakness of heart or soft music but actually doing something for someone else. BTW, take a close look at verse 17.

Another time I'll tackle "love your neighbor" vs "love one another." There is a difference.

Whoever he is will make a difference in you – male or female, we are each influenced by our dad. I don't remember much about my father before I was a teenager, since my mom and dad got a divorce when I was a little guy under 5. Once I became a teenager, my dad did not seem much different than my step-dad. While my dad seemed more open (party loving) and humorous (more like he was enjoying life more), my step-dad was quieter and deep in thought – he'd think about things before acting. Maybe it was the occupations too – carpenters work in crews (my dad) and mechanics (my step-dad) work alone under cars.

Other kids I ran around with seemed more like their dads too.

That is part of the point that John makes in chapter 3 of First John.He does not "ask" us to act a certain way. Rather he tells us that as "children of God" we cannot see what we will be, but we will be like Him (Jesus). I like John's words "if your hope is fixed on Him" you will be different.

I remember talking to some farmers about how they got those straight rows in their fields. Asking them how they accomplished that, their response was "when you sit at the wheel, pick a spot at the other end and keep the tractor pointed at that spot." Never got a chance to try it, but continued to look across acres of corn, soybeans or wheat.

Keep your eyes fixed on the goal. If you don't have one, you will wander.