LECHAM LACHAM

TRUE LOVE
BECKONS

Despair not for an abundant life awaits you

BY LEE KAH WOR

 TRUE
LOVE
BECKONS
DESPAIR NOT FOR AN
ABUNDANT LIFE AWAITS
YOU
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE

PROLOGUE

01 Love Personified

02 Love Amplified

03 The Unforced Rhythm

of Grace 04 Knowing God's Heart
05 The Kingdom of God

06 Focus on God’s Love

07 The Love
Commandment 08 The Power to Love

09 The Law
10 God Explained
11 The Craving for Love

12 Eternal Life
13 God's Love
Concealed 14 The Broken-hearted
Father

15 The Appeal for

Love 16 The Sabbath
17 Love Heals

18 Worship God
the Father 19 Receive God's
Love 20 The Patience of
God

21 The Cure for Depression

EPILOGUE
 PREFACE
This is a true story of an unraveled mystery.

There was a man, a very lonely man. He was born into a

family of humble beginnings. Growing up, he endured
shame and ridicule as many suspected that he was born
out of wedlock. In his very short lifespan which ended
tragically, he had many people around him but none he
could really call friends. He was always misunderstood.
People associated with him mainly to make use of him. He
was oftentimes with a great company of people but yet
alone. One of the closest people in his inner circle even
betrayed him to death for money. Another denied knowing
him for fear of being implicated. The rest simply deserted
him.

He was hurled into court for a crime he did not commit

and was given the death sentence based on conflicting
false evidence. Eventually, he died the most brutal and
horrific death.
This very brief account is but the tip of the iceberg. Nested
within his life was a mystery hidden for centuries. It was
not until after his death that the mystery was unraveled.
Even then many are still trying to grasp it while as many
are yet to come to terms with it. The unraveled mystery
remains a mystery to some due to the wool that has been
pulled over their eyes.

This is the mystery of LOVE.

 PROLOGUE
Every human heart longs for acceptance, admiration, affection,
affirmation, approval, care, comfort, encouragement,
recognition – in short, LOVE. Yet we have been looking for
love in all the wrong places and faces.

We search frantically for true and genuine love not knowing

that love Himself beckons. God is Himself love – 1 John 4:8,
16.

I want your love. I want you to know Me

– Hosea 6:6, Living Bible

Behind the façade of every human being lies a hidden pain. It

is deeply lodged in the very depths of the heart. Spiritual
surgery by the Word of God’s love will completely remove that
cancerous tumor. The unconditional love of God heals.

There is no love greater than the laying down of one’s life for
an enemy (John 15:13). Only the love of God is capable of
doing that. It is simply amazing and extraordinary. God the
Son died for us while we still regarded Him as an enemy –
Romans 5:7-8.
We have put aside the colossal and unconditional love of God
and settled for much less than what He has intended for us to
have and enjoy – Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10.

We look to the things of this world to earn love. Those things

debase our true value. They pale miserably in comparison to
the love of Father God.

1 John 2:15-16 Living Bible

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love
these things you show that you do not really love God; for all these
worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to
buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from
wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this
evil world itself.

True love is not found in sex, materialism, wealth, and the

sense of importance. The innate and intense desire for love
can only be satisfied by the love of God.

We imagine fleeting pleasures could satisfy our need for love.

But those temporal things only steal, destroy, and kill our
souls! What is the point of gaining the world at the expense of
losing ourselves in the process (Mark 8:36)? Seek first His love
and all the things we need will be added to us – Matthew
6:33.
Money can never buy true love. It can never acquire the real
sense of self-worth, peace, and joy. Those true riches are
found in God's love; the Kingdom of God - Romans 14:17.

We set our sights on God’s love for us and not on the

insatiable desire for money to buy love. The love of money is
the root of all evil - 1 Timothy 6:9-10.

More! I want more! The more we expend our efforts on

getting wealth to satisfy the need for true love, the further we
drift away from it. In the process, we lose our sense of self-
esteem, peace, and joy.

This insatiable desire consumes the pursuer like a wild forest

fire. We are ensnared by our willingness to get more in every
conceivable fashion. It is mammon; gaining wealth by unethical
and unscrupulous means.

God is not against us having money because we need it as a

transactional tool. Our Father God is concerned with money
having us. Greed causes us to debase ourselves and lose sight
of who we really are. We are the beloved children of God
whom He Himself tenderly loves – John 16:27.

When we know just how much God values us, we will not allow
anyone or anything (including and especially negative thoughts
and emotions) to defile, depreciate, demean, corrupt, cheapen,
degrade, tarnish, or pollute us.
We trash those filthy thoughts and emotions to the obedience
of Christ; what Him crucified has made us to be - 2
Corinthians 10:5.

We get to know what true and real love is from the love of
God. It is only with God's love that we can love self and others
in the right way.

Giving in to our desires, whips, and fancies as well as that of

the ones we love is not love. It is enabling and hastening the
path towards self-destruction. If not doing so means being
ostracized, so be it!

Even if everyone in this world forsakes us, God will never

abandon us. When we have God, we already have all we need.
Since God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

God did not spare even His beloved Son but gave Him up for
us. How shall He not also together with Him freely and
graciously give us all things for our enjoyment (Psalms 68:19,
KJV; Romans 8:32; 1 Timothy 6:17)?

Love provides. Love heals. Love guides. Love corrects.

The love of God manifested in the Person of God the Son as

Jesus the Christ leads us back to His loving embrace – Luke
15:11-32.

The love of God will lead to a rethink of our priorities

- Romans 2:4
 01 LOVE PERSONIFIED

The Loneliest Man

Jesus was the loneliest man in the history of mankind. He
lived in the most despised town of Nazareth in Israel more
than two thousand years ago. Many believed he was born out
of wedlock. He grew up in shame and ridicule. He was a
solitaire; a solitary person. He never found any like-minded
soul during his 33 years or so on earth. Yes, He died young so
that we might live a long and satisfied life.

Jesus was the eldest son of Joseph the carpenter and his
mother's name was Mary.

The Prophet
During His time, Israel highly esteemed a rather queer
individual. He lived in the wilderness and wore garment of
camel's hair. His food was locusts and wild honey. He was
John the Baptist.

The entire nation of Israel regarded him as the one chosen by

God to speak and act on God's behalf. Such a person is also
referred to as a prophet.
The Religious Background
The people of Israel are known as Jews. They live by a very
stringent set of rules and regulations called the Law or Torah.
Those commandments were revealed to the prophets by God
down through history that spanned across centuries. Those
oracles of God were carefully recorded and reduced in writing.
As a whole, those writings are commonly referred to as
scriptures.

The most renowned of the prophets were Abraham and

Moses - Genesis 20:7; Deuteronomy 34:10.

God built the nation of Israel from Abraham. He fathered

Isaac who in turn fathered Jacob. From Jacob came the
twelves tribes of ancient Israel.

Moses was the one through whom God gave the Torah to
Israel - John 1:17.

God is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their

relationship with God established God's promises and
purpose for all their descendants - Exodus 3:6.
The divine Godhood or Godhead comprises three distinct
Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. Three distinct Persons, One God. Collectively, they are
called God or Elohim; God in plural form.

The Declaration
John the Baptist publicly declared Jesus to be the one whom
God promised to send as the scapegoat. He was to be
punished for all the evils done by people of the world and to
carry them through the challenges of life triumphantly. The
appointed scapegoat would die and be raised to life again
three days thereafter. The scriptures talked about it. The
scapegoat was known to Israel as the Lamb of God; the
promised Messiah (Christ).

The Confirmation
John would conduct spiritual cleansing by the River Jordan
known as water baptism. Every single Jew, including the
religious leaders, would go to him for spiritual cleansing. Jesus
was no exception.

While Jesus was coming up out of the water, the heaven

opened and God the Father audibly declared Jesus as His
beloved Son. The blessed Holy Spirit then indwelt Jesus the
Man.
The Unbelief
Nobody actually believed Jesus was the promised Messiah, let
alone the beloved Son of God. Even John the Baptist had
doubts about it later. God the Son came in human form to His
own people but they received Him not. There were mixed
perceptions about His identity but none really accepted Him as
the Sent One.

The First Disciples

However, Jesus went around doing good and healing all who
were sick. He even raised the dead and performed many
miracles. Subsequently, Jesus had twelve disciples who were
closest to him. Of these were three notable ones called Peter,
John, and Judas Iscariot.

None of the disciples could connect with Jesus who oftentimes

secluded Himself from them to talk to God the Father;
commonly known as prayers.

The Animosity
Jesus garnered a huge following when news of His amazing
deeds spread throughout the country. He would have been
the hottest craze of any social media platform of our day. The
religious leaders of that day became furious and jealous. As a
result, they tried to find ways to arrest Jesus and kill Him
"legally". They dared not arrest Jesus in public as it would have
created a mob because multitudes thronged Jesus every day.
The Betrayal & Arrest
An opportunity came when Judas Iscariot decided to betray
Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. He provided the lead to Jesus'
arrest when He was alone with His disciples in the middle of
the night. Jesus was arrested prior to the Jewish festival of the
Passover.

The Readiness
Just before His arrest, Jesus was talking to God the Father.
Jesus knew that His appointed time was near and He sweat
blood. In medical terms, this is called hematohidrosis. It is a
condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat
glands rupture under extreme physical or emotional stress.

He braced Himself for His appointed task with full knowledge

of what the ordeal would entail. He did so out of love for us.

The Injustice
The religious leaders convened a kangaroo court in the wee
hours of the morning in accordance to their religious laws.
False evidence were brought against Jesus and even those
conflicted each other. Nonetheless, they bulldozed their way
and passed the death sentence.

The Denial
Peter who had earlier boasted of His love for Jesus denied
knowing Him three times before the rooster crowed. Jesus told
Peter beforehand that he would do so. True enough, Peter
chickened out just as Jesus prophesized.

We can never love God in the same way that He loved us.
The Hatred
As Israel was under Roman rule at that time, the religious
leaders brought Jesus to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
However, Pilate found Jesus innocent. The religious leaders
were adamant. They wanted Jesus dead!

Pilate tried to release Jesus by resorting to the customary

pardon before the Feast of Passover. He offered the religious
leaders the choice of releasing Jesus or Barnabas, who was
guilty of insurrection and murder. They chose the guilty over
the innocent and demanded for Jesus to be crucified.

As an ultimatum, the religious leaders played the political card

and Pilate had to accede to their request.

The Scourging
As in the practice of that day, flogging preceded crucifixion. But
before that, the Roman soldiers humiliated Jesus and
physically abused Him.

The scourging was done with a whip of nine knotted leather

cords tipped with metal barbs fastened to a handle. The victim
would be stripped naked and tied to a post and then flogged
across the back, buttocks, and legs. A single stroke would
lodge the metal pieces deep into the flesh and tear it apart.

Two executioners took successive turns to whip Jesus until

they were exhausted.

At the end of the session, Jesus was so badly lacerated that not
even a trace of skin was left on His body. His bones were
exposed with profuse bleeding. Many before Him had died
from severe blood loss.
The Crime
After the gruesome flogging, Jesus was dressed and the
garment fastened to His lacerated body. He was to carry the
wooden beam (34kg to 75kg) on His shoulders to the
execution site for His crucifixion.

A sign with the crime He allegedly committed was displayed:

“JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS”

It was written in the three languages of Hebrew/Aramaic,

Greek, and Latin. In Hebrew, it forms the acrostic "YHWH", the
name of God.

God willingly allowed Himself to be crucified.

There are as many school of thought for this as there are

against it. But when we recall God the Father having declared
Jesus as God the Son, the answer is obvious.

The Brief History of Crucifixion

Crucifixion was the most brutal and shameful way to die in that
era. It was reserved for the most condemned of criminals. As a
method of capital punishment, the victim would be stripped
naked, nailed to a large wooden beam, and left hanging until
eventual death from exhaustion and suffocation.

Crucifixion probably started with the Persians (modern day

Iran) and perfected by the Romans to maximize pain and
suffering. It was killing someone in a really painful and horrible
way while inflicting the maximum amount of pain. It was the
most cruel and hideous form of torture. It was sadistic!
The Crucifixion Process
The victim would first be stripped naked.

When Jesus was stripped naked to be crucified, the garment

would have stuck to the bleeding flesh resulting in another
round of severe tearing. Ouch is an understatement!

The victim would then be fastened to the wooden cross with 7-

inch nails driven through the wrist and feet in order to support
the body weight.

Once hoisted, the excruciating experience would begin:

With the feet fully supporting the body weight, the nails
driven through the limbs would hit two major nerves
running through the area. Excruciating pain in the legs
would ensue.
The nails in the wrists would pierce the main nerve running
through the arm. As the victim pushed up to breathe, the
wrists would rotate against the nail. It would irritate the
nerves and cause intense pain in the arms. The crucifixion
position itself would have dislocated the shoulder or
elbow. As such, any movement would aggravate the pain.
The victim's lacerated back would push up against the
centerpiece of the wooden cross. Consequently, the open
wound would be further lacerated leading to more pain
and blood loss.

This painful combination would quickly force the victim to

lower himself back down. Eventually, the victim would no
longer be able to raise himself up and would suffocate.
The Victory
Jesus, God the Son in human form, was tortured on the Cross
for six hours. He dismissed His Spirit after letting out the
battle cry of victory:

"It is finished!"

It is just one word in Greek, "Tetelestai!"

The word is pregnant with several meanings. Among them are:

The debt is fully paid; and
A battle cry of victory.

His declaration before the dismissal of His Spirit was a

confirmation of:
Full payment of the sin debt of mankind; and
Victory over the penalty and power of sin.

The Death & Resurrection

God the Son gave permission for His spirit to depart from the
physical body. It signified His authority. The body of Jesus was
buried for three days and he came back to life thereafter.

The Message of True Love

The resurrected Jesus appeared to His eleven disciples. Judas
Iscariot committed suicide after betraying Jesus. Before His
ascension to heaven, Jesus commissioned the eleven disciples
to be apostles. They were sent off to tell the world about the
message of God's love:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only

beloved Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life."
- John 3:16
The Birth of Christians
To equip the apostles for the mission, Jesus promised to grant
them power by giving them the blessed Holy Spirit and to also
confirm the message with miracles, signs, and wonders.

The initial group of believers comprised 120 people including

the eleven apostles. They were told to wait in Jerusalem for
the gift of the blessed Holy Spirit. While waiting, Matthias was
appointed to take over Judas Iscariot.

During one of the annual Jewish festivals called the Feast of

Weeks (Pentecost), the 120 people were filled with the blessed
Holy Spirit. Each of them spoke in a different language other
than the one they normally spoke in. Those who were present
were bewildered as each of them heard the 120 speaking in
their own language or native dialect.

It was then that Peter shared the message of true love and
3,000 people received God's love. It marked the beginning of
the community of believers in the message of God's love as
demonstrated by the Son of God crucified in human form as
Jesus of Nazareth.

The message of God's love spread throughout the country and

the community grew. It was in this place called Antioch that
the group of believers were first called Christians.
The Great Love
God the Son came in human form to willingly lay down His life
and shed His blood in order to set us free from the penalty
and power of sin.

He was fully God and yet fully Man. He was God in human flesh
and temporarily set aside His power to take on the limitation
of a human being.

God the Son came to experience human life and physical

death. He died as a human in order to render powerless the
devil who had the power of death.

He came to personally suffer the pains of being a human and

overcame all of them so that we may also enjoy the same
victory in Him. He did so while the entire world did not even
know what He was trying to do.

He was born in a manger on a silent night. He grew up with the

stigma of an illegitimate child. The ones closest to Him
betrayed and denied Him. The religious and judicial systems
of His day maligned Him and sentenced Him to death because
of jealousy and self-vested interests. He was hated without a
cause.

All alone on earth, He relied solely on the faithfulness of God

the Father to accomplish His mission by the power of God the
Holy Spirit.

He endured all that for the sole purpose of letting us know just
how much God loved us.

"In this is love: Not that we love God but He first loved
us - 1 John 4:10."
 02 LOVE AMPLIFIED

"The disciple whom Jesus loves."

This phrase appears only in the Book of John written by John

himself - John 13:23; John 19:26; John 20:2; John 21:7; John
21:20. This is John the disciple and not John the Baptist.

Jesus loved all of His disciples. But John fixed his eyes on the
Lord’s love for him and amplified that love in his life.

The Old Testament parallel was David. He was an Old

Testament man with a New Testament mindset. He pursued
the love of God for him and God declared him as a man after
His own heart – 1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22.

Today, we are the beloved children of the Most High God, the
Creator and Possessor of the heavens and the earth. God the
Son crucified as Jesus of Nazareth has given us the right to be
the apple of God’s eyes.

John 1:12
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave
the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of
God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in,
and rely on) His name
David of the Old Testament was a servant going after the love
of God.

John was the disciple who recognized the love of God

personified.

You are the very beloved child of God who have received
the love of God (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:15; Galatians
4:6)!

We have received the very love that David so cherished and

earnestly sought after. God has abundantly poured out His
love for us in our hearts through the Spirit of sonship by which
we joyfully cry out, "Abba, Father!" What a blessing!

This book is written to encourage you to receive and

experience the love of God.

As the pages unfold, you will get to see from the Bible just how
much God wants you to know that He loves you! The love of
God for you is His Kingdom that God the Son crucified has
established on this side of heaven.

All supporting scriptures are quoted from the Amplified Bible

unless otherwise stated.
 03 THE UNFORCED RHYTHM OF
GRACE

God loves us unconditionally. In other words, we need not do

anything to deserve, merit, or earn His love. It is therefore by
grace that God loves us. We receive that gracious love
through Jesus, the seed of faith - John 12:24; Ephesians 2:8-
9; Hebrews 12:2.

When the demands of life are screaming at us from the top of

their voices, we turn to the true love of God. Since He did not
even spare His only beloved Son but took pleasure in
sacrificing Him for us, He will surely look after us. While waiting
for God to work things out in our life, we constantly remind
ourselves of what He has done for us through His beloved
Son. We can be sure that He will see us through every
challenge in life because He truly loves us.

God the Son crucified in human form as Jesus of Nazareth is

the iron-clad guarantee and irrefutable proof of God's love for
us.

Having God’s love in mind regulates the pace of our life making
it restful and comfortable. It is the rhythm of our life.
For this reason, the love of God personified (Jesus), said in
Matthew 11:28,

"Come to Me and I will refresh your soul"

God is patient and kind. His love never fails (1 Corinthians

13:4-8). The love of God persuades and will never coerce.

As God is carrying us through to the end of each dark tunnel of

challenge, we may feel pressurized into expediting the process
by loving others. If we love others for something in return, it is
transactional in nature. The motivation to do so is misplaced.

The commandment to love others is not meant as works to be

done and definitely not a means to earn God's blessings (John
13:34). Loving others is a fruit from feeding on the true love of
God. His love touches the soul which in turn produces acts of
love such that we love because He first loved us - 1 John 4:19.
The love of God energizes our life. And Jesus, the love of God
personified, is that energy; the life-giving Spirit (Romans 5:8; 1
Corinthians 15:45). He is the power Who strengthens us -
Philippians 4:13.

Love is a gift to be given cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). God

loves a cheerful giver because the motivation to give is
founded on the right basis.

We love because He first loved us

– 2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 John 4:19.

God freely loves us and we, in turn, freely love others

(Matthew 10:8). This is the divine flow of life. We love not out
of compulsion but compassion derived from the love of God.
This is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Loving
others is then not heavy or ill-fitting. On the contrary, we get
the kick out of doing it.

Romans Chapter 7 makes it crystal clear that we are unable to

do the good that we know to do. The more we try to do good,
the more bad we do. Along the same lines, the more we try to
love, the more we hate.
Anything that is a commandment to perform becomes
burdensome. It is doomed to be an epic failure right from the
start. This is due to our inherent disability to deliver (Romans
7:15-20). It sets us up for condemnation. And condemnation
kills (Romans 7:10-11)!

We are condemned when we try to do the good that we are

unable to do in the first place. The sense of condemnation
leads to destructive behaviors. This is the principle of sin and
death - Romans 8:2.

The letter (as a commandment) kills but the Spirit (the love of
God) gives life – 2 Corinthians 3:6.

How convinced we are of God's true love for us determines

how well we love others - Luke 7:47.

To be loved by God so as to love God and others is the

unforced rhythm of grace
– Matthew 11:28-30, The Message
 04 KNOWING GOD'S HEART
The exchange between a certain scribe and Jesus as recorded
in Mark 12:28-34 is worth examining. It revealed that the
scribe, an expert in Mosaic Law, caught a glimpse of God's
heart of love.

In that passage of scripture, the scribe asked Jesus what was

the first and most important commandment of all. This was
the exchange:

JESUS THE SCRIBE

Jesus answered, The scribe said to Him,

“The first and most important one is: “Admirably answered, Teacher; You
truthfully stated that

‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one He is One, and there is no other but Him;
Lord; and you shall love the Lord your and to love Him with all the heart and with
God with all your heart, and with all your all the understanding and with all the
soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, strength,
understanding), and with all your
strength.’ and

This is the second:

to [unselfishly] love one’s neighbor as
‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor oneself, is much more than all burnt
as yourself.’ offerings and sacrifices.”

There is no other commandment greater

than these.”

When Jesus saw that he answered

thoughtfully and intelligently, He said to
him,

“You are not far from the kingdom of

God.”
The scribe caught a glimpse of God's heart of love. For that
reason, Jesus commented that he was not far from God's
kingdom. God wants us to know that He loves us and He wants
our love. In fact, Matthew 22:40 tells us that the entire Law
hinges on that.

Jesus came to make Hosea 6:6 a reality as can be seen from

Hebrews 10:5-7. God the Son came in human form to reveal
God's love so that we would sincerely love Him in return.

HOSEA 6:6 LIVING BIBLE HEBREWS 10:5-7 LIVING BIBLE

I don’t want your sacrifices — I want That is why Christ said as he came into
your love; I don’t want your offerings — the world,
I want you to know me.
“O God, the blood of bulls and goats
cannot satisfy you, so you have made
ready this body of mine for me to lay as a
sacrifice upon your altar. You were not
satisfied with the animal sacrifices, slain
and burnt before you as offerings for sin.

Then I said,

‘See, I have come to do your will, to lay

down my life, just as the Scriptures said
that I would.’”

God the Father prepared a physical body for God the Son to
lay as a sacrifice. It was to demonstrate and prove His love for
us. He wants us to know that He is our loving Father Who
Himself tenderly loves us – Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; John
16:27.
God is more interested in getting us to know His love for us. It
is by that knowledge that we can then relate both to God and
others in the manner our Creator has intended for us.

It is said that God is more concerned with how we treat people

than how we talk and show holiness. Yet the way we treat
others is directly proportional to our perception of how God
treats us.

If we see God as morose and fault-finding, we inevitably

become over-bearing and uptight.

But when we begin to see God for Who He really is, we have
life and life more abundantly. We will start to experience the
Kingdom of God; the true sense of self-worth, peace and joy in
the love of God - Romans 14:17.

It is like eating something so delicious that we cannot help but

exclaimed, "This is heavenly!"

Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good;
How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is
the man who takes refuge in Him.
 05 THE KINGDOM OF GOD

God abundantly pours out His great love for us into our hearts
by the blessed Holy Spirit. And we receive the blessed Holy
Spirit the moment we confess Jesus as Lord and personal
Savior - Romans 5:5.

God tells us that His Kingdom is righteous, peace, and joy in

the blessed Holy Spirit - Romans 14:17.

In other words, we will not have any sense of guilt and

condemnation in His love. Instead, we enjoy peace and joy in
His love.

The world we live in is demand-driven. We wear many hats at

the same time and we are expected to measure up in each of
the role that we play: child, student, parent, employee, boss,
friend, et cetera. This is not to mention the complications of
human nature which makes life even more challenging.

We are overwhelmed by the many roles we play and trodden

by the vicissitudes of life. Inevitably, we do not measure up
each and every single time and that is when guilt and
condemnation arise.
If we care to be honest, God's written word actually tells us
what produces stress and what gives rest. It really boils down
to whether we choose to go by His advice or our own desires -
James 4:2-3.

We essentially have a choice between what people (who

makes up the world) knows and what God knows - Romans
1:20-23.

God created the world and everything therein - Genesis 1:1.

He declares the end from the beginning - Isaiah 46:10. He is
All-knowing, All-Powerful, and All-Present.

The knowledge of people is limited while that of God is infinite.

We are kept in the dark when we do not know what is really
going on. In that sense, the world is in darkness because it
does not have the full and complete knowledge of all things.
For starters, we do not even know how the brain really
function. And the brain is the seat of knowledge. But God has
promised that the blessed Holy Spirit will lead us into the full
and complete truth and that He would teach us all things. And
the truth of all things is found in the Word of God - John
14:26; John16:13, John17:17.

People use knowledge to serve their own vested interests. But

God use all of the resources at His disposal for our good
because He truly and sincerely loves us.
We measure God's love for us with material things. But God
wants us to know His love by what His only beloved Son in
human form as Jesus of Nazareth has done for us.

Jesus came to reveal God as the Father Who Himself tenderly

loves us.

JOHN 3:34-35 JOHN 16:27

For He whom God has sent speaks For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves
the words of God [proclaiming the you, because you have loved Me and
Father’s own message]; for God have believed that I came from the
gives the [gift of the] Spirit without Father.
measure [generously and
boundlessly]! The Father loves the
Son and has given and entrusted all
things into His hand.

We can trust God because Christ crucified is the assurance

and evidence of our hope in God.

The love of God for us became a reality in Christ Jesus. We can

trust God completely because of Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:14
The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and
blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together]
with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus.
To know the love of God for us is our top priority just as the
apostle Paul resolved to know nothing except Christ crucified –
Matthew 6:33, Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 2:2.

TOP PRIORITY
Romans 5:8 Good News Translation
But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were
still sinners that Christ died for us!

MATTHEW 6:30-33 THE MSG 1 CORINTHIANS 2:2

If God gives such attention to the For I made the decision to know
appearance of wildflowers—most of nothing [that is, to forego
which are never even seen—don’t philosophical or theological
you think he’ll attend to you, take discussions regarding inconsequential
pride in you, do his best for you? things and opinions while] among you
What I’m trying to do here is to get except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified
you to relax, to not be so [and the meaning of His redemptive,
preoccupied with getting, so you can substitutionary death and His
respond to God’s giving. People who resurrection].
don’t know God and the way he
works fuss over these things, but
you know both God and how he
works. Steep your life in God-reality,
God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t
worry about missing out. You’ll find
all your everyday human concerns
will be met.
We direct all of our attention to knowing the love of God for us
that is in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:17-19 Good News Translation

And I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through
faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in
love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the
power to understand how broad and long, how high and
deep, is Christ's love. Yes, may you come to know his love—
although it can never be fully known—and so be completely
filled with the very nature of God.

There will be plenty of opportunities to question God's love for

us. People will cast doubts on God's love for us by pointing us
to the temporal contradictory circumstances while God works
behind the scene to sort things out in our favor - Romans
8:28.

When the rubber meets the road, we cast out those

arguments to the obedience of Christ to die on the Cross as a
revelation of the true knowledge of God; God is our loving
Father Who Himself tenderly loves us - John 16:27; Romans
5:8.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every
exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the
[true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought
and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ
 06 FOCUS ON GOD'S LOVE

The Psalmist David echoed that sentiment and revealed the

results of gazing or fixing our eyes on the love of God.

David was a man living under the Old Covenant but he had a
New Covenant mindset. God has declared him to be a man
after His own heart – 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22.

G A Z ING O N G O D ' S L O V E
OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT

Psalm 27:4 2 Corinthians 3:18

One thing I have asked of the Lord, And we all, with unveiled face,
and that I will seek: continually seeing as in a mirror
That I may dwell in the house of the the glory of the Lord, are
Lord [in His presence] all the days of progressively being transformed into
my life, His image from [one degree of] glory
To gaze upon the beauty [the to [even more] glory, which comes
delightful loveliness and majestic from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
grandeur] of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.

The beauty of the Lord is in His glory. Christ crucified is the

glory of the Lord (John 17:1-5). And Him crucified is the
demonstration and proof of God’s love for us (Romans 5:8).
On this basis, we can surmise that David might have a vision
of the Messiah's crucifixion.
T H E RE S U L T S
OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT

Psalm 27:13-14 John 16:33

I would have despaired had I not I have told you these things, so that in
believed that I would see the Me you may have [perfect] peace. In
goodness of the Lord the world you have tribulation and
In the land of the living. distress and suffering, but be
courageous [be confident, be
Wait for and confidently expect the undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have
Lord; overcome the world.” [My conquest is
Be strong and let your heart take accomplished, My victory abiding.]
courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect
the Lord.

Focusing on God's unfailing love produces hope; a confident

expectation of good - Romans 5:5; Romans 8:28.

Christ crucified is the faithfulness of God personified. He is the

iron-clad assurance and irrefutable proof of God's love toward
us - Galatians 3:23-25; Hebrews 11:1, 1 Timothy 1:14.

God is love and Jesus is God – John 1:1-3; 1 John 4:8, 16. God
the Father has subject all things under Jesus – 1 Corinthians
15:27. All things will eventually pass away. Only three things
will remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is
love – Luke 21:33; 1 Corinthians 13:13.

Therefore, the love of God conquers all – Romans 8:37; 1

Peter 4:8.
As we focus on God’s love for us, we remain steadfast in the
boat of life that is swept by crashing waves of hardships and
doubts.

Christ crucified has proven beyond any shadow of doubt that

God so loved us that He willingly died for us.

God the Son came to reveal God as our loving Father Who
Himself tenderly loves us.

This is the name which God the Son has made known to us so
that God’s love may overwhelm our hearts – John 16:27; John
17:26.

"God is my loving Father"

With that love in our heart, we are more than well-equipped to

come against the Goliaths of life - Romans 8:37.

God's love for us empowers us to love Him and others in a

manner that He has intended for us.
 07 THE LOVE COMMANDMENT
Both the Old Covenant of the Law and the New Covenant
essentially revolves around love.

Our Lord Jesus came to ratify the New Covenant with His
Blood – Matthew 26:28.

Love fulfilled the Law - Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14. The

shedding of His Blood is the love of God Who fulfilled the Law.

The Old Covenant of the Law was unable to empower us to

love God and others. Under the New Covenant, God provided
the power, ability, impetus and motivation to love. For this
reason, Jesus gave the love commandment afresh:

John 13:34-35
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one
another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one
another.”

Therefore, although loving others was a commandment from

the old, it was given anew because the motivation to do so has
changed - 1 John 2:7-8.

As such, we do the one thing needful:

Get to know the love of God through Christ crucified; the

meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His
resurrection – Luke 10:42; 1 Corinthians 2:2.
 08 THE POWER TO LOVE

The power and ability to love God and others come from the
love of God.

THE GREATEST THE

COMMANDMENT
FULFILMENT
Mark 12:29-31
Only when we know how much
Jesus answered,
God loves us can we then love
Him and others.
“The first and most important
one is:
Christ crucified is the
demonstration and evidence of
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God’s love for sinners –
God is one Lord; and you
Romans 5:8.
shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all
We love because God first loved
your soul (life), and with all
us – 1 John 4:19.
your mind (thought,
understanding), and with all
Love fulfils the Law – Romans
your strength.’
13:8-10; Galatians 5:14.
This is the second:
Love does no harm to a
neighbor – Romans 13:10.
‘You shall [unselfishly] love
your neighbor as yourself.’
Love corrects – Proverbs 3:12.
There is no other
commandment greater than
these.”

In fact, the fulfilment of the Law by the love of God was

concealed in the Ten Commandments.
 09 THE LAW

The Law is “Torah” in Hebrew. It means teaching,

instruction, or guidance. The Torah comprises a total of
613 commandments or mitzvah covering many aspects of
daily life including family, personal hygiene, and diet. The
most well-known of these laws are the Ten
Commandments (Exodus 20:3-14).

Moses also received an explanation of the Torah from

God, known as the Oral Torah, which is recorded in the
Mishnah.

The Law shows us just how far we have drifted away from
God, the One Who truly loves us. Yet the immense love of
God for us was concealed within those commandments.

God the Father sent God the Son to reveal what was
concealed in the Old Testament by the power of God the
Holy Spirit.
 10 GOD EXPLAINED

No one has seen the Father except God the Son – John 1:18;
John 6:46.

God the Son came as Jesus of Nazareth to explain, interpret,

and reveal the awesome wonder of the Father; His everlasting
and jealous love for us – John 1:18; Exodus 20:5; Exodus
34:14; Jeremiah 31:3.

God draws us with His lovingkindness (grace). And grace and

truth came in the Person of Jesus Christ – Jeremiah 31:3;
John 1:17.

It is the kindness of God that leads men to repentance; to have

an accurate perception of God as the loving Father Who
Himself tenderly loves us – Romans 2:4; John 16:27.

God is love and He loves us – 1 John 4:8, 16; John 3:16.

 11 THE CRAVING FOR LOVE

The deepest recess of every human heart craves for

acceptance, admiration, affection, affirmation, approval,
care, comfort, encouragement, recognition; in short, LOVE.
All the striving for wealth and fame boils down to getting
love.

When we look to the world to satisfy that deep longing for

love, we end up utterly disappointed and grossly
manipulated. We are looking for love in all the wrong
places and faces. For this reason, we do not love the things
of this world because the love that can truly satisfy our
deepest being is the love of God – 1 John 2:15-16, Living
Bible.
 12 ETERNAL LIFE

Life is about how much love we receive and give. Freely you
have received, freely give – Matthew 10:8

It is the love of God the Father that nailed God the Son to the
Cross so as to free us from guilt and condemnation - 2
Corinthians 5:21.

God loved us while we still regarded Him as an enemy -

Romans 5:8.

We did nothing to earn His love. In fact, there is nothing we

can ever do to make God love us. We are loved simply
because He loves us. That is unconditional love; unmerited,
unearned, and undeserved.

ROMANS 5:8 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21

But God clearly shows and He made Christ who knew no
proves His own love for us, by sin to [judicially] be sin on our
the fact that while we were still behalf, so that in Him we would
sinners, Christ died for us. become the righteousness of
God [that is, we would be made
acceptable to Him and placed in
a right relationship with Him by
His gracious lovingkindness].
It pleased God the Father to prepare a physical body for God
the Son to be crushed so as to redeem us– Isaiah 53:10,
Hebrews 10:5-7.

When we receive the pure and unconditional love of God

(Christ crucified), we find real life; eternal life. It is this love that
quickens the life of men; makes it alive once again – John
10:10.

But when we try to find the love we so yearn from the things of
the world, we lose the real meaning of life. We were created to
enjoy and live by God's love for us.

MATTHEW 10:39 MATTHEW 16:25

Whoever finds his life [in this For whoever wishes to save his
world] will [eventually] lose it life [in this world] will
[through death], and whoever [eventually] lose it [through
loses his life [in this world] for death], but whoever loses his
My sake will find it [that is, life life [in this world] for My sake
with Me for all eternity]. will find it [that is, life with Me
for all eternity].

We let go of the constant need to impress others in order to

win their approval. It is an endless, tiring, and unrewarding
endeavor. We already have God's approval in Christ Jesus and
that is all the approval we will ever need - Ephesians 1:6-7,
King James Version.
What is the point of winning the approval of everyone and yet
lose our self-worth and identity in the process (Mark 8:36)?
Everyone is entitled to an opinion but having an opinion does
not necessarily equate a fact, let alone the truth. A life that is
on overdrive to please others is not worth living! God the Son
came as Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified so as to give us a life
worth living – John 10:10.

We are meant to enjoy and bask in the love of God for us. It is
the love of God that builds us up and strengthens us – 1
Corinthians 8:1. Attend to the word of God’s love for us
because it is life to those who find them and healing and
health to our mortal bodies – Proverbs 4:22.

When we reckon the love we so freely receive from God, we

freely love – Matthew 10:8.

In the process of being loved and loving others, we come alive.

We move with the divine flow of what life on earth was meant
to be:

"We love because He first loved us - 1 John 4:19"

We do not love out of compulsion but compassion. We do it

cheerfully and not grudgingly.
 13 GOD’S LOVE CONCEALED

The Ten Commandments shows just how far we have

drifted away from the love of God.

God the Son came in human form as Jesus of Nazareth to

reconcile us to the loving Father by explaining, interpreting,
and revealing Him – John 1:18.

No one has seen the Father except God the Son.

Therefore, He is the best Person to show us who and what
God the Father is really like – John 1:18; John 6:46.

Against this backdrop, let us turn to the Big Ten to see how
the love of God for us was concealed therein.
 THE TEN GOD'S LOVE
COMMANDMENTS CONCEALED
1. You shall have no other I am your only Father Who
gods before Me. Himself tenderly loves you. I
love you with an everlasting and
a jealous love – John 16:27;
Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14;
Deuteronomy 4:23-24;
Deuteronomy 5:9;
Deuteronomy 6:15; Jeremiah
31:3

2. You shall not make idols. I am your only Father and you
belong to Me. I am worthy of
3. You shall not take the your honour and obedience –
name of the LORD Matthew 23:9.
your God in vain.

The first three commandments represented the heart cry of

a broken-hearted Father as illustrated in the parable of the
Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-32.

I don’t want your sacrifices—

I want your love;
I don’t want your offerings—
I want you to know me

Hosea
6:6,
Living
Bible
 THE TEN GOD'S LOVE
COMMANDMENTS CONCEALED
4. Remember the Sabbath The Sabbath speaks of Christ
Day to keep it holy. Jesus.

Come to Me and I will give you

rest – Matthew 11:28.

The Sabbath was created for

the sake of man and not man
for the sake of the Sabbath –
Mark 2:27. God the Son as
Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord of
Sabbath – Matthew 12:8.

God the Son as Christ crucified

demonstrated and proved
God’s love for us – Romans 5:8.

It is when we receive Christ

Jesus as Lord and Savior that
the love of God is poured out
within our hearts, with which we
acknowledge God as Abba,
Father – Romans 5:5, Romans
8:15.

It is with the love of God within

us that we can love God and
others – 1 John 4:19.
 THE TEN GOD'S LOVE
COMMANDMENTS CONCEALED
5. Honor your father and An earthly illustration of
your mother. unconditional love. We love and
honor our parents because
they first loved us - 1 John 4:19.

If earthly parents can love their

children, how much more shall
our Father in heaven love us? –
Luke 11:13

LOVING OTHERS THE POWER TO LOVE OTHERS

6. You shall not commit It is only when we know how

adultery. much God loved us that we can
love others – 1 John 4:19.
7. You shall not steal.
Love one another – John 13:34-
8. You shall not commit 35; John 15:12.
murder.
Love does no harm to its
9. You shall not bear false neighbor – Romans 13:10; 1
witness against your Corinthians 13:4-8.
neighbor.
Love fulfils the Law – Romans
10. You shall not covet. 13:10; Galatians 5:14.
 14 THE BROKEN-HEARTED
FATHER

The first three commandments represented the heart cry of a

broken-hearted Father. I find that worth repeating. The heart
wrenching pain can be felt in Hosea 6:6, Living Bible.

I don’t want your sacrifices — I want your love;

I don’t want your offerings — I want you to know me.

It brings to mind the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-

32). The hearts of both the sons were far away from their
father. The elder son was close to the father only physically
while the younger one left the father for immoral and reckless
living in a distant land.

TYPOLOGY
OLDER SON - JEWS YOUNGER SON - GENTILES
Matthew 15:8-9 Amplified Bible Ephesians 2:11-12 Amplified Bible
‘This people honors Me with theirTherefore, remember that at one time you
lips, Gentiles by birth, who are called
“Uncircumcision” by those who called
But their heart is far away from Me.
themselves “Circumcision,” [itself a mere
mark] which is made in the flesh by human
‘But in vain do they worship Me, hands— remember that at that time you
For they teach as doctrines the were separated from Christ [excluded from
precepts of men.’” any relationship with Him], alienated from
the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
to the covenants of promise [with no share
in the sacred Messianic promise and
without knowledge of God’s agreements],
having no hope [in His promise] and [living]
in the world without God.
Yet, the younger one returned to the father relying solely on
the father’s love. He recalled his father's love even for the
servants. As such, he was prepared to become a servant
because he deemed himself unworthy to be his son. What he
did not know was that his father had been scanning the
horizon daily for his return so as to lavish his extravagant love
on him – Luke 15:14-19; Ephesians 2:13.

However, the older one has been bitter with the father all the
while as he perceived that he had to earn his father's love. On
that basis, the prodigal son could well be the elder brother -
Luke 15:29-30.

But look at how the father gently corrected his erroneous

perception (the Jews typologically):

Look, dear son, his father said to him, ‘You and I are very
close, and everything I have is yours’ – Luke 15:31, Living
Bible

This brings to mind Romans 11:25-26.

"A partial hardening has [temporarily] happened to Israel [to

last] until the full number of the Gentiles has come in; and so
[at that time] all Israel [that is, all Jews who have a personal
faith in Jesus as Messiah] will be saved."

The father appealed for the love of both his sons with his love
for them.
 15 THE APPEAL FOR LOVE

God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything
therein, is appealing to all of us who have deserted Him to
receive His love – Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:20.

God the loving Father has never forsaken us. We were the
ones who have rejected Him – Deuteronomy 31:6, 8.

In the thick of that rejection, God the loving Father sent God
the Son as Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified as an appeal for
our love. He was resurrected for our acquittal from the penalty
and power of sin – Romans 4:25; Romans 5:8; Hebrews
10:5-7.

Sin is the ignorant pride of thinking that we know better than

God. This is the fallen condition of mankind. It is taking actions
based on our limited knowledge instead of God's infinite
wisdom. These are the actions that inflict harm on us when
they appear to be doing us good - Romans 1:20-23.

"We do not love God out of compulsion or need. We love Him

because we are convinced by the proof and demonstration of
His love for us in Christ crucified."

In this is love:

Not that we love God but that He first loved us – 1 John

4:10.
 16 THE SABBATH
The Sabbath speaks of God’s love for us. It was created for the
sake of man and not man for the sake of the Sabbath – Mark
2:27. In other words, it is not that we first love God but that
He first loved us 1 John 4:10.

Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. In the New

Testament context, it reads as "Remember my
extraordinary love for you!"

Holy means uncommon. The love of God for us is

extraordinarily uncommon; holy! Keeping the Sabbath Day
holy speaks of the uncommon love of God for us. It is
completely out of this world!

Romans 5:7-8
Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his
life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good
man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone
might even dare to die. But God clearly shows and proves
His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.

JOHN 10:11 JOHN 10:17-18

I am the Good Shepherd. The For this reason the Father loves
Good Shepherd lays down His Me, because I lay down My
[own] life for the sheep. [own] life so that I may take it
back. No one takes it away
from Me, but I lay it down
voluntarily. I am authorized and
have power to lay it down and
to give it up, and I am
authorized and have power to
take it back. This command I
have received from My Father.
 17 LOVE HEALS

God is love and Jesus is God – John 1:1; 1 John 4:8, 16.
Hence, Jesus is love. And love heals.

For this reason, Jesus, the Lord of Sabbath, healed on Sabbath

during His earthly ministry - Matthew 12:8. God the Son
came to heal mankind of the disease of all diseases; SIN.

It was to demonstrate the true essence of the Sabbath Day;

the love of God heals and gives us rest. It is the love of God the
Father that sent God the Son to heal us of the sickness of sin
by His death on the Cross.

The King of kings and the Lord of lords came to defeat the
disease of diseases. With that in place, all other diseases have
also been subdued such that no plague can come near us -
Psalm 91:10. By His stripes, we are healed - Isaiah 53:5; 1
Peter 2:24.

It is the love of God that keeps our very being intact; spirit,
soul, and mortal body – Colossians 1:17.

And Christ crucified is the love of God personified – Romans

5:8.
 18 WORSHIP GOD THE FATHER

Oh God, my Abba Father! (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:15;

Galatians 4:6).

Your love for me is better than wine. Your word of love for me
is sweeter than honey – Psalm 119:103; Song of Solomon
1:2; Song of Solomon 4:10.

Psalm 100:4-5
Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting,
His faithfulness [endures] to all generations.

There will be seasons of waiting when God work things out to

our favor. We hear testimonies of God's love and faithfulness
during those seasons to be spared from unnecessary despair
and discouragement, a.k.a doubt - Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews
12:1, James 1:4.

God has started a good work in us and He will see to its

completion - Philippians 1:6.
I submit to you that the good work refers to the seed of faith
that He first planted in us as substantiated by John 12:24 and
Hebrews 12:2. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of the faith
that God first put in us.

Since it is God Himself doing all the work from start to finish,
how will our feelings affect the guaranteed outcome - Romans
3:3?

It is all about God's integrity and faithfulness.

We forfeit our peace needlessly and we bear needless pain for

He Who promised is faithful - Hebrews 10:23.

Christ crucified is the guarantee of delivery for every promise

of God. The Son of God crucified is the assurance and
evidence of the reality of every one of God's promises - 1
Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 11:1.

Therefore, sit back and relax. Be still and know that God is
faithful. He will do what He said and make good what He
promised - Numbers 23:19; Psalm 46:10; Romans 4:20-21.

God do not make empty promises - Isaiah 55:11.

We wake up each day to witness the faithfulness of God, our

loving Father!
 19 RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE

May I invite you to receive God’s immense love for you right
now by saying:

“Father God, thank You for sending Your beloved Son

to die on the Cross for me. Thank You for loving me
so much.
Today, I receive Your love for me through the death
and resurrection of God the Son as Jesus of
Nazareth.”

God has destined for you to be His beloved child before the
foundations of the world – Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:5-6.

A boat stays afloat the massive ocean as long as the

surrounding water does not get into it continually. Therefore,
when the waters of fear, worry, and anxiety start to fill up the
boat of your life, scoop them out by casting them unto the
Lord because He cares for you. He loves you and He will take
care of you – 1 Peter 5:7.

God promised to do that. He Who promised is faithful –

Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 10:23.
 Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age I am He,
And even to your advanced old age I will carry you!
I have made you, and I will carry you;
Be assured I will carry you and I will save you.

In the days ahead, may you get to know and experience the
love and faithfulness of Father God for you more and more!
 20 THE PATIENCE OF GOD

Elohim has been waiting for His wayward children to return to

His loving embrace since before the foundation of the earth –
Ephesians 1:5-6.

He declares the end from the beginning. He is omniscient -

Isaiah 46:10.

He already foreknew that His children Whom He loves with all

his heart, mind, and soul would turn on Him. Yet, He
proceeded to birth us. He gave us the right of free will to
respond to the proof and demonstration of His love –
Romans 5:8.

Since the Creator Himself is not in a hurry, why should anyone

else be?

He has been extremely patient because He does not wish for

any to perish but to turn back to His loving embrace – 2 Peter
3:9.

When a wayward child is reconciled to God the loving Father

by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, it marks the beginning of
an eternal loving relationship – Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians
5:18; Ephesians 2:8-9.
God the loving Father will guide and correct His beloved child
in preparation for the eternal future. Each of us has been
created unique. Therefore, let each of us concentrate on our
own walk with God. As the apostle Paul puts it, run your own
race – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1.

We are sure to encounter fellow believers who expect us to

measure up to their standards. As much as it is out of good
intentions, why let anyone who is not in your shoes tell you
how to tie your shoe lace?

We let our loving Father God work in us patiently to bear and

enjoy the fruit of His love. In accordance to His plan and
timing, we will eventually live a life that expresses a grateful
heart – Ephesians 4:1-2.
 21 THE CURE FOR DEPRESSION

What is depression?

It is that awful sense of loneliness that torments and eats into

the soul ever so slowly. It makes life a dread and you wonder
when it will ever come to an end. It becomes suicidal.

It is that deep void that just could not be filled by anything or

anyone. It is a complete loss of self-worth or self-esteem. Life
becomes void of meaning, purpose, and direction. It is
condemnation at its best. And condemnation kills!

Loneliness just would not leave the tormented alone.

One can be in a company of friends and still feel extremely

lonely. A person can laugh on the outside and yet shed tears
of blood on the inside. There is not a single soul on earth to
whom you can pour out your heart without being judged or
misunderstood. Nobody listens to you to understand.
Everybody is listening to comment. Everyone is slow to
empathize but quick to generalize. They get the thrill from
putting you down and pushing you further into the abyss of
condemnation. The tormented finally had enough and breaks
down by harming self or others.
Worldly KPIs
The god of this world wants our self-esteem to be based on
worldly key performance indicators (KPIs) - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
We must perform in order to be accepted. It is a hectic and
endless pursuit of fame and wealth. It is depressing and
debilitating. The current world order inherently condemns.

Godly KPIs
God the loving Father wants our self-worth to be built on the
unshakable foundation of His KPIs; what God the Son has
performed as Jesus of Nazareth. We are already accepted and
approved in the Beloved Son of God. It is uplifting and
refreshing. The word of God’s perfect love gives life – John
6:63.

The record of the Emmaus experience provides the way to

drive out discouragement and despair – Luke 24:13-25.

Jesus is concealed in the Old Testament. When we begin to

unveil the hidden Jesus in the Old Testament from New
Testament scriptures, it does wonders to the heart.
The Bible was written for our enjoyment. It is not meant for
theological arguments.

2 Timothy 2:14
Remind the people of these facts, and solemnly charge
them in the presence of God to avoid petty controversy
over words, which does no good, and [upsets and
undermines and] ruins [the faith of] those who listen.

As The Lord Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:13-17 and I

paraphrase,

“Never mind what other people are saying about Me. But Who
do you say that I am?”

An overwhelming sense of joy wells up within the heart when

we begin to see for ourselves from the Holy Bible that Jesus is
indeed the Christ and God the Son.

Even the apostle Paul who received direct revelation from the
ascended Christ used the holy scriptures to prove that Jesus
was indeed the promised Messiah – Acts 17:1-3; Acts 18:27-
28; Galatians 1:11-12.

The Bereans believed because they searched the scriptures

daily to see if what the apostle Paul preached was true – Acts
17:10-12.
Therefore, search and see from the scriptures for yourself that
Jesus of Nazareth is indeed God the Son Who came as the
promised Messiah (Christ). He came in human form to
demonstrate and prove the perfect love of God for you by
dying the death of the Cross – Hosea 6:6; Romans 5:8;
Hebrews 10:5-7.

When it comes to the point of ending it all, reason it out with

yourself,

“I have the courage to end it all. Why not be courageous to give

God an opportunity to prove Himself faithful?”

I have come to the point of abandoning everything. Surely I

can also ignore the negative comments and opinions of
others. I shall consider myself dead to this world but alive to
see what GOOD THINGS God has up His sleeves.
Such hope in God’s promises never disappoints us because
God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us - Romans 5:5.

Consider king David, one of the greatest kings in history. Guess

who lifted him up when he was at the point of suicidal despair.

Psalm 27:13-14
I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see
the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Let the perfect love of God cast out

every trace of dread and depression
– 1 John 4:18.
 EPILOGUE
The great mystery that was hidden for centuries is this:

The love of God for mankind personified

God the Son came in human form as fully God and fully man.
He died the horrendous death of crucifixion and was
resurrected to release us from guilt and condemnation.
Although ascended to heaven to His rightful place of deity, He
remains the firstborn of the new creation on earth.

All who have received the love of God through Him are new
creations - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

We await the appointed time to join Him in the heavenly abode

with an incorruptible body - 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-17.

I hope to have been able to appeal to your heart to consider

the extraordinary love of God the Father for you.

May the Lord Jesus flood your heart with His love.

I have also written the following books about the immense love
of God for you through God the Son as Jesus of Nazareth:
 THE MESSIANIC
CREDENTIALS SERIES

Volume 1 – The Love of God

Volume 2 – God’s Promise Concerning
His Servant

Volume 3 – Salvation Reaches the End

of the Earth
Volume 4 – God Helps His Servant

Volume 5 – The Suffering Servant

Exalted
 THE REDEMPTION
SERIES

Her Seed

Redemption Plan Preceded Creation

The Redemption Plan Activated

I have also developed a game called “Crumble and

Tumble” to create a hazon vision of smashing the COVID
virus.

All the above resources are available at

https://alephtavsermons.blogspot.com/.

Hope to see you there!

The deepest recess of every human heart craves for
acceptance, admiration, affection, affirmation,
approval, care, comfort, encouragement, recognition;
in short, LOVE. All the striving for wealth and fame
boils down to getting love.

When we look to the world to satisfy that deep

longing for love, we end up utterly disappointed and
grossly manipulated. It is debilitating and depressing.
We are looking for love in all the wrong places and
faces.

True love is seen in the sacrifices made.

The sacrifice of all sacrifices is seen in the crucifixion

of God the Son in human form as Jesus of Nazareth.
It was the love of God the Father for us that nailed
Him to the Cross. And it was the love of God the Son
for us that kept Him there for the appointed duration
of time. It is the love of God the Holy Spirit for us that
motivates Him to remain within us. This amazing love
is extraordinary in that God did so when we did not
know just how much we needed it. We even spurned
and despised it.

What is love?

In this is love: Not that we love God but that He first

loved us.