Preparing Our Hearts for Resurrection Sunday: Piece by Piece “HisStory” Unfolds

A poem that concisely describes the wonderful  Love of God as it was continually revealed throughout history.

To celebrate Christ's Resurrection, I want to share a poem I wrote 20 years ago. It takes us from Genesis through Revelation.

Piece by Piece "HiStory" Unfolds
by Gail Burton Purath

God simply spoke and the world was formed 
A beautiful garden to welcome man 
No waste, no pain, no sin or sorrow 
Pure paradise just as God planned 

But then the Serpent hissed his lies 
And man chose death instead of life 
One bite and sin was brought to earth 
With pain and sorrow, sadness, strife 

No more sweet walks and talks with God 
Man chose to walk away instead 
But God still offered hope and love 
One day He’d crush the serpent’s head 

Sin’s ugly stain began to spread 
Cain chose to shed his brother’s blood 
Mankind became completely evil 
God brought about a worldwide flood 

But water could not cleanse men’s souls 
God’s love they stubbornly refused 
With pride they planned and built a tower 
Until their language God confused 

Now came the time for God to choose 
A man who would a blessing be 
Four promises He gave to Abram 
His Seed would someday set men free 

From Abraham through Isaac and Jacob 
The Deliverer’s bloodline God maintained 
Son Judah was the chosen tribe 
But Joseph double honor gained 

They moved to Egypt for God’s provision 
But grew so great they proved a threat 
Pharaoh despised these Promised People 
Who did not have a land as yet 

Then God sent Moses to the Pharaoh 
Ten plagues, but still he answered “No!” 
How hard the Pharaoh’s heart became 
Before he let God’s people go 

God’s breath then blew the Red Sea dry 
And drowned Egyptian chariot rumble 
He gave his people loving care 
But all they did was gripe and grumble 

God’s voice then spoke the Ten Commandments 
Life principles to guide their way 
But they would rather serve a cow 
 And to an idol bow and pray 

Yet God still loved these stubborn people 
And brought them to the Promised land 
They had no reason to doubt or worry 
They should have trusted in God’s plan 

Twelve spies returned with mixed reports 
“They're giant warriors we can’t kill!” 
“Not so!” cried Joshua and Caleb 
“God said we’ll conquer, and we will!” 

But fear controlled the vast majority 
They stubbornly maintained their grief 
Again they pushed God’s love away 
And lost the land through unbelief 

When forty years came to an end 
The younger Jews embraced the task 
This time they let God fight for them 
And took the Promised Land at last 

But dark years of the Judges followed 
“Right in their own eyes,” enjoying sin 
God rescued them repeatedly 
Repeatedly they sinned again 

Then Samuel came and brought relief 
He sought the LORD in everything 
But the people didn’t want God’s rule 
They longed to have an earthly King 

King Saul lost his respect for God 
But David had a shepherd's heart 
Solomon wasted his gift of wisdom
Rehoboam split the land apart 

Eventually Israel rejected God 
Years later Judah did the same 
Israel was conquered and destroyed 
Judah bound in foreign chains 

But in God’s time King Cyrus took power 
Wielding God’s justice through Persian hands 
He destroyed the Babylonian nation 
And the Jews regained their Promised Land 

History came and went thereafter 
With God faithfully, repeatedly extending His grace 
But man was bent on pagan unbelief 
 Continually rejecting God’s loving embrace 

Then all of history did converge 
 As Christ was born one starry night 
An act of wisdom, grace, and love 
God sent His Son to make things right 

When baptized and when tempted 
Christ proved that he was qualified 
The Incarnate Living Word of God 
Exposed the Serpent’s deadly lies 

Repentant throngs clung to Christ’s words 
The Twelve lived with Him everyday 
He healed the sick and raised the dead 
But many sinners still turned away 

Then came the day it all was “finished” 
The purpose Christ had come to serve 
He paid a debt we could not pay 
And took a death that we deserved 

What hellish torture He bore for us 
Nails tore his flesh, the sky turned black 
His Father could not comfort Him 
When He bore sin upon His back 

Yet still He cried in sweet forgiveness 
“Dear Father, they know not what they do” 
And when His task on earth was done 
The temple curtain tore in two 

His death destroyed the Garden lie 
It crushed the head of Satan and sin 
Creating a path of hope and life 
Securing redemption, He rose again

“Now go and tell My story” 
He says to all who’ll hear 
Then He took His place in glory 
But His coming back is near 

 The Holy Spirit blew with power 
 Equipping man to spread 
The message of salvation 
Bringing life just as He said 

 At last the sin of Adam 
Could not keep God from man 
For all who would be reconciled 
Need only grasp His Hand 

 And just so none would flounder 
And none would be subdued 
God left a Book of His own Words 
Replete with countless clues 

 The mystery explained now 
The way of God made clear 
The hope of future glory 
 For all who would draw near 

 But more is in the works, you see 
We only know in part 
For when our Jesus comes again 
Then true life really starts 

 There’ll be no room for tears at all 
 When songs of praise are sung 
I cannot wait to see you, Lord 
Come soon, Lord Jesus, Come!

If you have not yet followed Christ 
I warn you: Please do not delay
Nothing else will save you
For Jesus is the only Way
 
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I wrote this poem in seminary when I took a class that taught us how to give an overview of the Bible through a narration and images. After I graduated, my husband and I went to Budapest, Hungary to do Christian work, and I edited my narration to use for a women's seminar called "The Bible's Love Story." I typically gave the seminar in English and it was translated into Hungarian. But I have a video of one of the times I gave it in English, if you'd like to take a look. My video equipment was not very good, and the quality of this video is terrible. But it will give you a flavor of the presentation: The Bible's Love Story part 1. And if you take a look, please let me know if you think it's something you'd enjoy if I took the time to update it.

Biblical, concise, affordable devotional

💙Be sure to check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life.

Discounted on LifewayAmazon, and CBD
A poem that concisely describes the wonderful  Love of God as it was continually revealed throughout history.


Preparing for Resurrection Sunday: The Message and the Messenger

An interesting look at the depth of Christ's purpose and meaning in our world and in our lives. This 1-minute devotion will inspire you.

When Christ speaks, He's not merely reciting truth, He's the author of it. 


Even more, He's not merely the author, He's truth itself. 

He's not simply the greatest messenger of truth, He's the greatest message. 

From the beginning Christ has been God's Word:
In the whispers of the prophets
In the proclamations of His earthly ministry
In His passionate cries of pain and forgiveness from the cross
In the sweet music of the resurrection

God's message still whispers, proclaims, cries out, and sings to every soul today. And those of us who listen and believe must proclaim, cry out, and sing His message too. 

Today, I'm singing. Will you join me? 

"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2). 
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Beware of people who want to change Jesus and His message. These devotions explain how some people have invented a different Jesus:





https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Life-Devotional-One-Minute-Reflections/dp/1087775760

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first four devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon.
 
I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.
 
An interesting look at the depth of Christ's purpose and meaning in our world and in our lives. This 1-minute devotion will inspire you.


Bible Love Notes


We Will Be Judged for Our Approval or Our Silence

Modern government has gone too far just as it did in past history. Lives are at stake. Christians must take a stand.

This is a subject that is heavy on the hearts of many Christians. I pray that this devotion will inspire you to speak up at this important time in history (See Proverbs 31:8 and Proverbs 24:11-12). Please read all of the notes. Thank you.

➤ First, I want you to imagine how evil human thinking became to justify slavery: 

1. Believing a slave owner’s well-being was more important than a slave’s well-being. 

2. Believing a slave owner could play God with a slave’s life. 

3. Believing a slave owner's income, convenience, stability, wants, needs, and desires were more important than a slave’s income, convenience, stability, wants, needs, and desires. 

4. Believing it was a good government that allowed slave owners to own human beings.

How did Americans ever fall for these lies? 

Modern government has gone too far just as it did in past history. Lives are at stake. Christians must take a stand.
➤ Now compare this evil thinking with the thinking that justifies abortion: 

1. Believing the mother’s well-being is more important than the baby’s. 

2. Believing the mother can play God with the baby’s life. 

3. Believing abortion is justified if it enhances the mother’s convenience, stability, income, wants, needs, and desires. 

4. Believing it's a good government that allows a mother to kill her baby.  

If we support abortion, we would have supported slavery. If we vote for proabortion candidates, we would have voted for proslavery candidates. God will judge us as he judged slave owners and proslavery advocates. Choose this day whom you will follow, dear Christians (Joshua 24:14-15).  

➤ Please make yourself aware of these popular proabortion arguments based on half-truths and outright lies:

Rape and incest
1% of abortions are due to rape and .05% are due to incest. Many authorities believe that adding abortion to these other abuses makes the healing process harder for the victims. I have great sympathy for women in these situations, but I don’t believe they should abort their babies. However, if you support abortion because of rape and incest, you should be strongly advocating against current abortion laws which allow women to kill their babies for any and every reason. 
 
Life of the mother
If you claim to support abortion because of actual threats to the health of the mother, you are simply repeating a proabortion lie. Proabortion advocates aren't stupid. They know that abortion to save the life of the mother has always been a part of abortion legislation in the U.S. And most of them know that modern medicine makes that choice virtually unnecessary. But the proabortion movement is highly skilled at propaganda. Please notice that they never focus on selfish reasons for abortion even though they comprise 98% of all abortions. Would it have been okay to own a slave so a person could get a better education, a better job, or have more leisure time? We'd all answer no to those questions, but what about these: Is it okay for a person to kill a baby so she can get a better education, a better job, or have more leisure time? Proabortion propaganda uses fake descriptions like "reproductive health" to disguise the selfish truth of abortion.
 
According to the Guttmacher Institute: "The reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman's education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%); that she could not afford a baby now (73%); and that she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems (48%). Nearly four in ten women said they had completed their childbearing, and almost one-third were not ready to have a child. Fewer than 1% said their parents' or partners' desire for them to have an abortion was the most important reason. Younger women often reported that they were unprepared for the transition to motherhood, while older women regularly cited their responsibility to dependents."

Modern government has gone too far just as it did in past history. Lives are at stake. Christians must take a stand.
Now please put this in proper perspective. Please look at all of those reasons and tell me which of those reasons is so serious that it should make slavery legal again? Which is so serious that a baby should give his or her life to alleviate it? None of these reasons are life-threatening, and many of them could be alleviated by adoption or by seeking help available from pro-life groups, churches, family members, or government programs.

⮚ And please never say, "I'm personally opposed to abortion, but..."
If you claim to be opposed to abortion, but you vote for proabortion candidates for other reasons, you are saying that babies should give their lives so you can benefit from social programs, taxes, welfare programs, etc. You are basically accepting a bribe to let babies die (Deuteronomy 16:19; Exodus 23:8; Proverbs 15:27). I find this argument the most disturbing one used by Christians. I addressed a "Christian" group that promoted this bribery during the last election: See From VeggieTales to Situational Ethics.

⮚ "It won't change things..."
If you claim that you don't vote pro-life because it won't actually change the laws, explain where in Scripture God tells us that we only need to do the right thing when it brings the desired results. You won't find it. 
 

Modern government has gone too far just as it did in past history. Lives are at stake. Christians must take a stand.


Bible Love Notes

The Wrong Way and the Right Way to Determine Truth

There's a powerful influence on value formation, and Christians need to be aware and on  guard against it. This 1-minute devotion explains.

I used to live next door to a couple who wasn't married but living together. They were good neighbors. 


Once I was in an organization with a woman who was a Mormon. She was friendly and helpful.

I know atheists who are reasonable and generous.

Why am I telling you this?

Because none of these people made me change my beliefs about God's moral values, the danger of cults, or the truth about salvation in Christ. That's because genuine beliefs aren't based on human influence. They're based on knowing God and His Word.

Sadly, some churches change their views about divorce when a respected church member gets divorced without biblical reasons. 

Some people change their views about cohabitation and same-sex relationships when loved ones start living together or come out as gay. 

When a church or individual changes their views about moral commands in Scripture, they're choosing human relationships over their relationship with God.

But remnant Christians understand that God's commands always have been and always will be healthier and more loving than worldly philosophies.

So answer this question carefully: Do friends and family determine your moral values? Or do you trust the Word of our all-knowing, unchanging, loving God? See some of His words below.

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For more on this subject, see Being Christ-Followers in a Sexually Immoral Culture.

Some pertinent Scriptures

Galatians 1:10: “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Mark 8:38: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.”

1 Corinthians 15:58“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Romans 12:2“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”


There's a powerful influence on value formation, and Christians need to be aware and on  guard against it. This 1-minute devotion explains.



Bible Love Notes

Pondering Christ's Love

Take some time today to ponder the insights in this 1-minute devotion. They'll give you a deeper love for Christ!

It’s easy to take the Lord for granted even when we love Him deeply. So today, let’s take some time to thoughtfully ponder these truths: 

No greater love 

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” ~ John 15:13 

Our Shepherd and our Savior 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ~ John 10:11  

Our only hope for life, given before we even understood

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:6-8 

Laying down our lives 

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ~ 1 John 3:16 

While there are times people have actually given their physical life for another person, most often laying down our life for others means sacrificing selfish plans for God’s purposes (Ephesians 2:10Philippians 2:3-4). 

Let’s ask God how can we show sacrificial love this week. 

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ~ Ephesians 5:1-2 

Please set aside some time today to read these one-minute Bible Love Notes: 

 ❤ Be sure to check out the Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life.


Take some time today to ponder the insights in this 1-minute devotion. They'll give you a deeper love for Christ!



Bible Love Notes

Dear Christians, Don't Fall for "Suicide-Propaganda"

Let's not allow people to make false claims against us because we believe God's Word.

Christians are being ridiculed for our beliefs.

Recently I've been hearing propaganda that Christians are responsible for LGBTQ depression and suicide—not because we are mistreating people but simply because we don't affirm their lifestyles. (See "Statistics" at the bottom.)

The world wants Christians to quit sharing God's loving warnings about the soul damage of LGBTQ lifestyles, as if our beliefs are dangerous to the well-being of others (Romans 1:16-32; John 15:18-21; Luke 6:22). 

That's propaganda. Differing viewpoints are part of culture and part of life. If disapproval causes suicide, Christians have more reason to complain than LGBTQ persons. 

🗸 No one is forcing LGBTQ businesses to hire Christians who disagree with their mission. 

🗸 Social media isn't hindering posts with LGBTQ viewpoints and protecting posts with Christian viewpoints.

🗸 Laws aren't being proposed that limit LGBTQ freedom of speech, and no one is trying to make it illegal for a counselor to promote LGBTQ lifestyles.*

🗸 The press isn't calling LGBTQ persons haters or Christianphobes

But these prejudicial things are being done to Christians.  

If LGBTQ persons are more depressed and suicidal than heterosexuals, it's because they're made in the image of God and in their heart of hearts they know that their lifestyle goes against God's loving design (Romans 1:20). 

I frequently hear Christian groups stressing kindness toward LGBTQ persons. But I can't say I've ever heard of LGBTQ groups stressing kindness toward Christians.

Blaming LGBTQ suicides on Christians is simply part of shame-game propaganda. Stand firm, dear Christians, and put your hope in God!

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* In some locations, it's illegal to biblically counsel someone struggling with LGBTQ urges even if that person wants that help. Appropriate biblical counseling is being compared to inappropriate methods of "conversion therapy," and pastors and Christian counselors are being prohibited from sharing biblical truths in these areas. 

For a thorough understanding of the biblical view of homosexuality, see these resources:

Biblical Teaching on Sexual Lifestyles (a collection of short devotions) 

What the Bible Teaches about Gender

Gay Revisionist Theology (a collection addressing various false teachings used by gay revisionists)

Questions, Not Answers (the testimony of a former lesbian)

Statistics: You can find studies that claim LGBTQ suicides are due to their feelings of rejection and studies that claim other causes. Even if every person left a suicide note stating the cause, we'd have trouble drawing conclusions since suicidal people are not thinking clearly when they kill themselves. Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the U.S. and also the lowest LGBTQ population. We could create a number of contradictory theories about suicide based on Wyoming, but they would also be conjecture, not fact. As Christians, we know that our God is 100% true, good, and right, and He warns us that LGBTQ lifestyles damage people's souls. It seems both biblical and logical that such lifestyles would lead to a higher ratio of despair, depression, and suicide. 

💙 Be sure to check out the Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. Discounted on LifewayAmazon, and CBD.

Let's not allow people to make false claims against us because we believe God's Word.


Let's not allow people to make false claims against us because we believe God's Word.





Bible Love Notes

5 Steps for Accurate Bible Study

These 5 Steps prevent misunderstandings and misuse of Scripture. They're practical and fully explained.

When studying a passage of Scripture, it's important to: 

1. Identify the purpose of the book or passage. Some people call this the author's intent. The ultimate author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit, and He used human authors to write for specific purposes. For example, the author of Proverbs explains the purpose in Proverbs 1:1-6.(1) 

2. Identify the audience. You want to know if a command was given for everyone (Matthew 28:16-20) or only for a specific time or group (Matthew 10:5-6).(2)

3. Identify figurative language. The Bible uses poetic language, especially in the poetical books.(3) It shouldn't be taken literally. For example, see Psalm 98:8.(4)

4. Read in context. This gives you a fuller understanding of the passage and prevents misunderstandings. Words taken out of context can lose their true meaning.(5)

5. Study thoroughly. Find out everything the Bible says about a subject before drawing conclusions.(6)
 
Footnotes:   
 
(1) See Proverbs Aren't Promises.
(2) See the four short articles: Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today?
(3) Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon
(4) For more on this: 4 Facts about Figurative Language in Scripture and Can I Take the Bible Literally? 
(5) See Context  Adds Clarity. For an example of a common out-of-context mistake, read Self-Esteem's Twisted Proverb.
(6) To see how easily we can misunderstand prayer, read Pieces Parts.

💙Be sure to check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. Discounted on LifewayAmazon, and CBD.

These 5 Steps prevent misunderstandings and misuse of Scripture. They're practical and fully explained.


Bible Love Notes

Agape Probably Doesn't Mean What You've Been Taught in Bible Study

For many years, an error has been taught about the Greek word Agape.

It's important that we share our faith accurately, honestly, and biblically (2 Timothy 2:15). Sadly, there are some very popular misunderstandings about God's love.

I've written at length about the misleading use of the word “unconditional” when describing God's love (see links below). It has produced enormous misunderstandings.

Today I want to take a bit longer than my usual one-minute devotion to address another error that is often combined with “unconditional love” misunderstandings.

Why am I discussing these errors? Because there's nothing more important than sharing our faith accurately, and we need to be aware of how widespread some errors have become.

So let's look at the popular misunderstanding of the Greek word agape.

If you google “agape,” the majority of Christian sites will present it as God's perfect love, and many will claim that it also denotes unconditional love. 

John Piper summarizes the problem: 
“One of the most popular linguistic and exegetical fallacies in modern times is that the Greek word for love, agapao, carries in it the implication of a divine love that is unconditional and comes to us in spite of our sin. That is not true. Context must decide if agapao refers to our proud, cliquish love for our cronies (as in Matthew 5:46), or if it refers to God’s merciful and sacrificial love for sinners (as in John 3:16), or if it refers to our love for leaders, not unconditionally but precisely because of their labor (1 Thessalonians 5:13). ~ John Piper 

In English, the meaning of “love” is also defined by the context. We use the word love whether we're talking about loving pizza or loving God. 

If Christians are sharing God's love with good intentions, does it really matter if we pass along this error about the Greek word agape? I think it does. We don't need to misrepresent a Greek word to emphasize the beauty of God's love. 

We should “always be prepared” to explain our faith to others (1 Peter 3:15), and we should seek to do it honestly and accurately (2 Timothy 2:15). If we are going to emphasize a point by explaining the meaning of the original Greek word, let's do our homework. Our faith is worth more than sloppy scholarship. 

When we teach errors, we can lose our credibility, especially when sharing the gospel with unbelievers. So let's be like the noble Bereans and make sure Scripture supports the things we're taught (Acts 17:11). 

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

God's love is incredible (Ephesians 3:17-19)We don't need to redefine Greek words to prove that. 

💙💙💙💙💙

Read 7 Truths about God's Love to see some of the wonderful things Scripture teaches about God's love. 

To better understand the error of describing God's love as unconditional, see God's Love Is Better than Unconditional. And I also encourage you to read Is Unconditional the Best Description of God's Love? because it answers some common questions. You also might want to watch this six-minute video with R. C. Sproul and John McArthur: God's Love Is Not Unconditional.

Additional Resources about Agape

See the Greek explanation of agape HERE
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Thomas Nelson’s Bible Dictionary:
AGAPE [ah GAH pay] — a Greek word for love used often in the New Testament (John 13:35; 1 Cor. 13; 1 John 4:7–18). Contrary to popular understanding, the significance of agape is not that it is an unconditional love, but that it is primarily a love of the will rather than the emotions. The New Testament never speaks of God loving unbelieving human beings with emotional love or a love that expects something in return. But He loves with His will (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). The reason for this is that God can find nothing enjoyable about a sinner on whom His wrath still abides. So He loves by His will; it is His nature to love. [underlining is mine] *
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The word agape did not originate in New Testament writings. To believe that agape means God's perfect love would mean the pagan Greeks developed the best description of God's love.
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“Both agape and phileo can be used as synonyms, and it is the usage in the context of conversation or narration that tells us the degree of love or the object of love in focus.” ~ Let's Stop Overinterpreting Agape
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“In John 3:35, Jesus says, 'The Father loves the Son,' and in John 5:20 he says precisely the same thing—only in one verse he uses agapao and in the other phileo, with no discernible difference in meaning.
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“In Matthew 24:12, agape is described as growing cold. Yet if it is a Godly love, how can it change? … Agape was used throughout other Greek literature of the time and when the New Testament was written, it had become the standard word for love in the Greek culture. We should therefore expect it to be the standard word for love in the New Testament.”  ~ Is “Agape” a special kind of love? 

Agape is used to speak of God’s love that He has for the world and that Christians are supposed to emulate. This is the word for 'love' that is most commonly used in the New Testament. For a while it was thought that Christians must have coined the word agape to speak of a godly kind of love that the Greek world knew nothing of. But the word agape was in fact in use in the Roman Empire, and it was not coined by Christians to communicate God’s love.” ~ Got Questions

💙Be sure to check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. Discounted on LifewayAmazon, and CBD. And sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes 1-minute devotions HERE.

*Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.

For many years, an error has been taught about the Greek word Agape.


Bible Love Notes

When a Stingy Poor Man Becomes Rich

When a man is poor and stingy, what does he become when he gets rich? This 1-minute devotion explores what Scripture teaches about generosity.

"If a man is stingy when he is poor, he will be stingy when he is rich.” ~ Unknown

Generosity has more to do with our hearts than our pocketbooks. And generosity doesn't simply apply to money. It applies to time, effort, and consideration.

We can be generous or stingy with our time and effort when caring for family members, listening to friends, or showing appreciation to co-workers. We can be generous or stingy with God's grace by forgiving or holding grudges, by seeking restoration or setting up boundaries.

In Luke 21 a poor widow put two copper coins in the temple treasury, and Jesus said, “I tell you the truth…this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them” (21:1-4).

Her gift was not the largest, but it was the most generous. And she gave it willingly and humbly to the Lord.

When we give generously in any area of our lives, God notices. It’s like making a deposit in our eternal bank account (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).  

Is there an area where you need to give more generously of your time, money, effort, or grace?
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See Is 10% Biblical? 
A great hardcover devotional priced lower than most paperbacks.

I was blessed to see that The Alabama Baptist website recently reviewed Wisdom for Life: Book Review: Wisdom for Life Devotional.
 
It's a hardcover book priced lower than most paperbacks. Check out the sales on LifewayAmazon, and CBD.
 

When a man is poor and stingy, what does he become when he gets rich? This 1-minute devotion explores what Scripture teaches about generosity.


Bible Love Notes