Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,201
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16-18 ESV)
When we love other humans with the love of God, which prefers what God prefers, which is holiness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and obedience to our Lord, we will not deliberately and/or habitually sin against them. But we will do for them what is for their good, to meet their genuine needs. And sometimes this requires the wisdom of God to discern what people’s true needs are, especially in the times in which we live when there are so many scam artists begging for handouts. But that isn’t always an easy task.
Now, in the times in which John penned the words quoted above, he was speaking of the church, and of the “brothers” as our fellow Christians. He was speaking of how we should lay down our lives for our fellow Christians in the same way in which Jesus laid down his life for us. But for what purpose did he lay down his life for us? It was so that we could die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the Spirit. And so we should be sharing with “the church” this truth, even if some reject us.
When he spoke of a fellow Christian being in need, the understanding is that the person was literally in need and had no way of meeting those needs for himself or herself at that particular time. These were obvious needs. And so the exhortation here was to not ignore the real needs of a fellow believer in Jesus if we have the means to help him or her. If we see the need but we just walk away and we ignore the need, and we just feed ourselves, then this questions how God’s love abides in us. I think the answer is, it doesn’t.
Okay, so here we live now in a completely different culture at a way different time in history where we can communicate with people all across the world just from our homes via internet devices. And very large gatherings of what are called “churches” are very popular. But we cannot know the true needs of people across the world unless the Holy Spirit speaks it into our hearts. For honestly there are so many scam artists today begging for money that it is nearly impossible to know who is of need and who is not.
So, what do we do when someone says that they are in need of food? Pray! Seek the Lord’s guidance. And if you know for certain that they need food and that they have no means to get food, and you are able to help them, then please share some of your food with them. But if they keep coming back for more, you may have to ask some hard questions to determine whether or not they are in true need and if they have done all that they can do to meet those needs. And that will not be an easy task unless you really know the people who are asking for help. So pray for the wisdom of God.
But I think the point of this teaching is if we see a fellow Christian, someone that we know, probably a neighbor or someone we get together with to minister to one another, if we see that person in true need, and we know they have no way of meeting those needs, and we have the means to help them, we should. I don’t believe this is instructing us to help everyone who ever asks us for money. But let the Lord lead you in this. Just don’t let people put you on a guilt trip if you are not able to meet everyone’s needs. Just guard yourselves against scam artists, for they are everywhere.
But we should not stop at just being “good deed doers” who give to others financially who are in need. We should help those we know in true need, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But there is a greater need that needs to be met which has to do with why Jesus died on that cross. And that is for us to be sharing the truth of what the Scriptures teach about salvation and holy living and obedience to our Lord so that other people can turn their hearts to the Lord in genuine repentance and faith, which results in them dying to sin and now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands.
And we need both! We need to be sharing the truth of God’s word with our fellow Christians, for their spiritual growth, and with the world, for their salvation from their slavery to sin so they can live holy lives pleasing to God and have the hope of eternal life with God. And we need to be meeting the physical needs of those within the body of Christ who need help and who genuinely are not able to meet those needs, at that time. But we cannot help everyone. So we just need the guidance of the Lord in this to be sensitive to people’s needs and then to do what the Lord says to do.
[Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 6:27-28; Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35; John 15:12]
In Harmony
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17
Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Our Fellow Christians in Need
An Original Work / February 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
When we love other humans with the love of God, which prefers what God prefers, which is holiness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and obedience to our Lord, we will not deliberately and/or habitually sin against them. But we will do for them what is for their good, to meet their genuine needs. And sometimes this requires the wisdom of God to discern what people’s true needs are, especially in the times in which we live when there are so many scam artists begging for handouts. But that isn’t always an easy task.
Now, in the times in which John penned the words quoted above, he was speaking of the church, and of the “brothers” as our fellow Christians. He was speaking of how we should lay down our lives for our fellow Christians in the same way in which Jesus laid down his life for us. But for what purpose did he lay down his life for us? It was so that we could die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the Spirit. And so we should be sharing with “the church” this truth, even if some reject us.
When he spoke of a fellow Christian being in need, the understanding is that the person was literally in need and had no way of meeting those needs for himself or herself at that particular time. These were obvious needs. And so the exhortation here was to not ignore the real needs of a fellow believer in Jesus if we have the means to help him or her. If we see the need but we just walk away and we ignore the need, and we just feed ourselves, then this questions how God’s love abides in us. I think the answer is, it doesn’t.
Okay, so here we live now in a completely different culture at a way different time in history where we can communicate with people all across the world just from our homes via internet devices. And very large gatherings of what are called “churches” are very popular. But we cannot know the true needs of people across the world unless the Holy Spirit speaks it into our hearts. For honestly there are so many scam artists today begging for money that it is nearly impossible to know who is of need and who is not.
So, what do we do when someone says that they are in need of food? Pray! Seek the Lord’s guidance. And if you know for certain that they need food and that they have no means to get food, and you are able to help them, then please share some of your food with them. But if they keep coming back for more, you may have to ask some hard questions to determine whether or not they are in true need and if they have done all that they can do to meet those needs. And that will not be an easy task unless you really know the people who are asking for help. So pray for the wisdom of God.
But I think the point of this teaching is if we see a fellow Christian, someone that we know, probably a neighbor or someone we get together with to minister to one another, if we see that person in true need, and we know they have no way of meeting those needs, and we have the means to help them, we should. I don’t believe this is instructing us to help everyone who ever asks us for money. But let the Lord lead you in this. Just don’t let people put you on a guilt trip if you are not able to meet everyone’s needs. Just guard yourselves against scam artists, for they are everywhere.
But we should not stop at just being “good deed doers” who give to others financially who are in need. We should help those we know in true need, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But there is a greater need that needs to be met which has to do with why Jesus died on that cross. And that is for us to be sharing the truth of what the Scriptures teach about salvation and holy living and obedience to our Lord so that other people can turn their hearts to the Lord in genuine repentance and faith, which results in them dying to sin and now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands.
And we need both! We need to be sharing the truth of God’s word with our fellow Christians, for their spiritual growth, and with the world, for their salvation from their slavery to sin so they can live holy lives pleasing to God and have the hope of eternal life with God. And we need to be meeting the physical needs of those within the body of Christ who need help and who genuinely are not able to meet those needs, at that time. But we cannot help everyone. So we just need the guidance of the Lord in this to be sensitive to people’s needs and then to do what the Lord says to do.
[Matthew 5:43-46; Luke 6:27-28; Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35; John 15:12]
In Harmony
An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17
Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Our Fellow Christians in Need
An Original Work / February 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
