Seven Things

Seven things

“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....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13

The Bible does not attempt to argue the existence of God. Instead it emphasise God’s love.
The above quoted Scripture written by the apostle Paul to my mind defines God’s love. The kind of love we all should be showing to even our enemies.
 The bible asks of man to do seven important things. The first two are spoken of by Jesus, Matthew recording,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                                 Matthew 22:37-40
Matthew also records Jesus as saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
                              Matthew 5:43-45
In these two quotes from Jesus we are told the important things in life, to love God, Love our neighbour, and even love our enemy.
The fourth thing the Bible asks us to have is faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                Hebrews 11:6.
Faith being defined in the book of Hebrews as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                  Hebrews 11:1
The fifth thing the Bible asks is to believe the word of Jesus when he said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 
                                                                                                                                             John 14:6
The sixth thing we are asked to believe is, believe God loved the world and gives each and every person a choice where they will spend eternity. The apostle John recording Jesus as saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” 
                                                                         John 3:16-18
Finally the seventh thing the Bible and Jesus asks you to believe is,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25,26
Do you believe these things?
Please think about it.