Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

TUESDAY OCTOBER 6


PLAYING WITH FIRE

READ:
John 14:21
__________________________________________________________________________________
Whoever has my
commands and
keeps them is the
one who loves
me...and I too
will love them and
show myself to
them.
_________________________________________________________________________________

When I was a young boy my mom warned me that I should never play with fire. Yet one day I decided to see what would happen if I did. Taking a book of matches and some paper, I went out into the back-yard to experiment. With heart beating fast, I knelt on the ground, struck the match, and set the paper aflame.

Suddenly I saw my mother approaching. Not wanting to get caught, I put my legs over the flames to hide what I was doing. But Mom shouted, "Denny, move your legs! There's a fire underneath them!" Fortunately, I moved my legs quickly enough and was not burned. I realized then that my mother's rule about not playing with fire was not to spoil my fun but because of her concern to keep me safe

Sometimes we don't understand the reasons behind God's commands. We may even think He is a cosmic killjoy, setting up rules and regulations to keep us from enjoying ourselves. But God asks us to obey Him because He has our best interests at heart. As we obey, we "remain in his love" and are filled with joy (JOHN 15:10-11).

So when God warns us not to sin, He does it for our own good. He really wants to protect us from "playing with fire" and getting burned. __Dennis Fisher

**Dear heavenly Father, may Your Holy Spirit empower us to obey
Your word. We thank You for the protection Your precepts provide
and the love and joy we find in obeying You.
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God gives us loving warnings in His Word to protect us.

************************Today's Bible Reading __ John 15:10-20******************************
10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in
his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in
you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command
is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has
no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 14 You
are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call
you servants, because a servant does not know is master's
business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that
I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You
did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that
you might go and bear fruit__fruit that will last__and so that
whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This
is my command: Love each other.

18 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember
what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master."
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they
obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Jesus used the words servants and friends to
show the level of intimacy and the great privileges and
responsibilities believers have with Him (v.15). A true friend is
"one in spirit" with you (see 1 sam. 18:1) and would sacrifice
his life for you (JOHN 15:13). A friend of Jesus does whatever He
commands (v.14), but "a friend of the world" is an enemy of
God (JAMES 4:4). _______Sim Kay Tee