ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”   Hebrews 10:22

3 - EDITOR's CORNER  

Dear Friends,

Apology and a bit of humor:
In our previous issue, a good friend pointed out to me a typo… a slip of good proof reading on my part changed the meaning completely.  Julee, my lovely wife, my humblest apologies for the accidental use of bad tasting words for your delicious home-cooked meals…

No… Julee’s cooking is not a “curse.”  Actually it’s too much of a blessing as I now am dieting to loose weight.

Those of you who know me well… know I am the first to admit my spelling problems.  I make no excuse, but do admit this has been a thorn in my flesh for me for over a decade now.  This problem has truly given me huge frustrations while accomplishing official printed material for work for my various employers over the past decade (or so)….  However, as Julee has already forgiven me, I ask you share in my blooper and laugh with me over the slip up.  After all, if one cannot laugh at their own self, then their view of life may be too ridged and harsh….

I know that Julee LOVES me, in spite of my flaws and humanity.  And even in a slip of the fingers while typing this, I am secure in knowing that Julee & I have a love that is bound together from the love God has given us.  And this leads us into today’s devotional, as we look at a new commandment…  the commandment of Love!

4 - PICTURE of the DAY!!!

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GOD's TENDERNESS
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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork….
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;…
May you be blessed by the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

 Genesis 1:1; Psalms 19:1; Pr 3:19:  Ps 115:15

Photo by UNKNOWN
Barnabas Ministries/E.C.H.O.

Your comments, suggestions, ideas, and thoughts are welcomed.
Should you have a picture you have taken (not copyrighted) you would like to share in PICTURE of the WEEK!!!,
please e-mail a copy in .jpg or .gif format.  Feel free to suggest a verse/verses you think might go well with the image.
(Photo's & images submitted become the property of E.C.H.O. and may be altered.
Images, suggested verses, and topics are subject to display per discretion of E.C.H.O.)

5 - DEVOTIONAL

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(1 John 2:7-11)

A NEW COMMANDMENT!

We have heard the stories from child hood to pre-teenage, through puberty and on into adulthood…  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  We’ve heard how God used Moses in parting the waters, and leading the children of Israel in the wilderness to the promised land, about Noah and the great ark he built to save life on this earth, and how God sent us HIS SON to die for our sins, to pay the price for our iniquity, and to redeem us so we could again fellowship with our Heavenly Father and obtain eternal life with HIM.  Many wonderful truths have been shown and taught for thousands of years… and today I wish to share with you something new…  “A NEW COMMANDMENT!”

“Wait a minute now Daniel!” You might be saying…  “God’s given us HIS complete Word!  Nothing needs to be added, nor should there be anything removed or taken away!”

You are 100% right by dear friend, and I make no argument with you.  The “new commandment” I wish to share with you today is one we all are already aware of… and it fit’s so well with the theme of today’s holiday… valentine’s day.  That new commandment is the commandment of love!


1- AN OLD COMMANDMENT (2:7)

John shares in verse 7 an old commandment “…which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.”

OLD is defined as antique… worn out… not recent.  The “old commandment” is the “word.”  WORD is from the Greek statement “logos” which is the same definition used in the gospel of John the first verse of the first chapter “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  And it is through these verses we see Christ as the “Word” from which we have had since the beginning.

This is not to say that the Holy Scriptures is out dated, or no longer worth anything, because of its age.  In fact, it’s the very opposite!  If you consider what a true “antique” is, in most earthly value you can find that the product has increased in worth over time, and possibly in more than one way, as there is the cash value along with sentimental value – such as when we travel through a history museum and examine true artifacts used or worn by previous presidents, world leaders, and famous personnel we admire or respect.  The Bible should have such great value in our life that nothing can replace or exchange it in our life.

We have God’s command’s, HIS Word, HIS truth from the origin of time to this very present day.  And no matter how old it is, it still has great value and meaning!  However, John goes on in verse 8 to share a new commandment….


2- A NEW COMMANDMENT (2:8)

“Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.”

And verses 9 – 11 share with us that this “new commandment” is the commandment of “love.”

Using the “Power Bible Software” the Spurgeon Devotional Commentary states:

“Ver. 7,8  The love of our brother is in one sense an old command, for it is the substance of the second table of the law; but the gospel sets it in a new light beneath the cross, and binds us to keep it by new and powerful obligations.”


This commandment that John now presents to us is a more recent one… one that is truly in Christ and is in each of His believers and followers.  It is true in us because the darkness has past and “the true light” is shinning.  The word for “light” used here is the same one used in 1 John 1:5 stating, “…that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

That commandment John presents is one of LOVE....

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”   - John 13:34

What a valentines day card we have received!  One from our Father & Savior!  Words of love from their own mouth!


3- LOVE  (2:9-11)

Whoever states that they are in the “light” and yet has hatred for another in their heart is actually in darkness.  Darkness, meaning:
1) darkness
2) the darkness due to want of light
3) metaphor: used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery in hell

YET, whoever loves his brothers (other people, mankind, blood relatives & “brothers & sisters in Christ”, the human race.... all people you come in contact with) lives in the light, and there is no reason or cause of stumbling (entrapment in sin).


Remember the two greatest commandments Christ spoke of?

A) Mark 12:29-30  “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.’”

B) Mark 12:31 “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”


Both commands deal with love.  Love God with everything you have.  Love those around you just like you love yourself.  If you follow these two rules, everything else will automatically fall into place.  If you love God with your all, you will want to give “offering & tithes”, you will desire to attend church and have fellowship with others, you will be compelled to read His Word and to abide by it.  You will seek and desire the way God wants you to live.

If you love fellow mankind as yourself, you will find it easier to give when they are in (true) need.  There will be a bonding and fellowship that is needed and required by all.

Of all the commandments and laws God has given us to follow, the greatest one is “LOVE.”   Love is an action word.  It’s not a feeling or emotion, it is a way of life.  Love takes commitment and will.  God so loved us.... He wants us to love also!

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
1 Corinthians 13:13  “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

1 John 4:7-11  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

How do we love?  What do we love?  What is our love?  Those are questions we must answer ourselves.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matt 6:21 & Lu 12: 34)


We love our treasure… and that which we put first in our life is most likely our treasure, our valued possession or experience.  Is our love like Christ’s love?  HE gave, unselfishly, freely, willingly, 100%.  And not for HIS personal gain, but for yours and mine.  We need to share the love that God has given us… “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

AWESOME!  HIS love being perfected in us!  That’s an experience worth having!  That’s an eternal valentine’s day card for all year long that will last beyond eternity!

I wish and pray for you my friend that you have a wonderful valentines day… in the LOVE of GOD!

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“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands… and purify your hearts…”  James 4:8

6 - NEXT ISSUE

Join us in the next issue when we will continue in 1 John 2:12-14
As we read “A LETTER TO THE FAMILY”

7 - PARTICIPATION

This section is for YOU... it is a revised section returning from the FIRST EDITIONS of E.C.H.O. where you can actively participate in ECHO and sharing encouragement with others.  E.C.H.O. is interested in your thoughts.  Do you have something you would like to share with others, a favorite web link, a favorite verse/passage of scripture, etc?  Please write to EncourageOthers@msn.com and share you thoughts.

Please feel free to share with ECHO you stories of encouragement, your letters of hope, your favorite verse … a web link you enjoy or have been blessed by….

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 14:12:34 -0500 … writes:

Follow the link below and you can share words of encouragement to deployed members from all branches of the military:

http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/

ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,
Sincerely yours,

-= Daniel
   Philippians 1:6

ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO ~ ECHO

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