Posts tagged 'love'

  • Virtues for Christ-Followers: Love

    The following article illustrates the power of God’s love, and our great need for it.

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • God’s Kind Of Unity: An Unstoppable Force

    Jesus said: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (John 13:35).

    In today’s virtually connected world, where literally anyone around the world is just a moment away through online communications, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • 1 Thessalonians: Chapter 4 (Part 2)

    Having covered the topic of sexual immorality in verses 3–8,1 Paul moved on to address another problem that had arisen in the Thessalonian church.

    Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • 1 Thessalonians: Chapter 3

    Having fled Thessalonica due to persecution, the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church and told them that he had made more than one attempt to return to them, but Satan hindered us.1 Paul and his companions, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Better Days Ahead—Part 8

    —Make Each Day Count

    We all want our lives to count, to make a difference. You, like me, have probably read articles or books on goal setting, building good habits, teamworking, being purpose-driven, etc., ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: John 15: Abide in …

    At the end of John chapter 14, Jesus informed His disciples that He was going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.1...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Reflections on Love

    Love for Others

    As we come to the end of this More Like Jesus—Reflections series, the focus in this compilation is on loving others. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Reflections on Love

    God’s Love

    The topic of love is multifaceted, as it enters into various aspects of our lives: our relationship with God, with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus and the Scribe

    Jesus’ interaction with a particular scribe who was favorably impressed by His teaching is recounted in all three synoptic Gospels.1 The focus here will be on the version found in the Gospel of Mark. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Love

    In the book of 1 John we read that God is love1 and that in this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.2 While the phrase God is love ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Fire from Heaven (Luke …

    The Gospel of Luke describes several events in Jesus’ life which aren’t recorded in the other Gospels, some of which will be covered in this and the next few articles. The first of these is found toward the end of Luke chapter 9, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus on Love (Part …

    In part one, we saw that Jesus taught His disciples the principle of loving one’s enemies. He gave examples of behavior which would put this principle into action:

    Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: Jesus on Love (Part …

    In each of the synoptic Gospels,1 Jesus quotes two commandments from the Old Testament. The first is from the book of Deuteronomy:

    You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.2 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Unconditional Love

    When I think about how to sum up who God is in a single phrase, “unconditional love” comes to mind. Of course, God is many things and cannot be confined to one phrase or term, but as we know ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Compassion

    When we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, something that becomes abundantly clear is that Jesus showed compassion to others and taught that His followers should be compassionate as well. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Kindness and Goodness

    When the apostle Paul was writing about living a godly life, about living in and being led by the Holy Spirit, he listed what he called the “works of the flesh,” which included things like enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, and envy.1 ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Patience

    In the book of Exodus, we’re told that when Moses was on Mount Sinai, God revealed something of His character:

    [Moses] rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai … The Lord descended in the cloud ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Sermon on the …

    Do Unto Others

    As we near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, we come to a key saying which is often referred to as the “Golden Rule”:

    Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Jesus—His Life and Message: The Sermon on the …

    Love Your Enemies

    We’re going to take a look now at the last of the six examples in the Sermon where Jesus gave a fuller understanding of the Law of Moses. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • More Like Jesus: Christ's Example

    When we are in the process of finding ways to transform our lives so that we can become more like Jesus, it follows that we should look to the example of how Jesus Himself—the only human who had full godliness—lived His life. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Liberating Our Perspectives

    Do you ever look at the tests, struggles, and impossible situations you find yourself in and wonder if it might be the result of something you did wrong? Perhaps you’re in the midst of sickness and feel ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Slay the Dragon!

    Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.1 

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Power of Happiness

    In the course of your life as a follower of Jesus, it’s possible that you engage in some of the following activities as a way to minister to others, either occasionally or regularly. What is the common denominator ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Listening Dividends

    A while back I posted an article about one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone—the gift of listening—and why this gift is so valuable to the one being listened to. In this article I want to present another aspect ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Say “I Love You” Every Day!

    It's customary on specific days to express our love and appreciation for others. On those days, the expectation is that we acknowledge and verbalize our caring and warm feelings for our loved ones and friends. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Stories Jesus Told: The Father and the …

    This third parable in Luke chapter 15 is a continuation of Jesus’response to the scribes and Pharisees’ criticism of His keeping company with sinners. He began by telling the twin parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, ... (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Making a Christmas Masterpiece

    When the life of a follower of Jesus is lived as Jesus intended it to be, it becomes a thing of beauty. Being a Christian and having a relationship with God should be something that permeates our daily experiences, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Listening Can Change a Life

    While there is a lot about the importance of listening available on the Internet and on bookshelves, I wanted to hear what Jesus would say about this topic, especially as it relates to us, His followers. We are His representatives and ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Spiritual Disciplines: Service

    Upon entering the world, Jesus made Himself nothing and took on the form of a servant.1 As Christians we, like Him, are called to serve our Christian brothers and sisters as well as others. ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Ultimate Pet Rescue Service

    God will prepare everything for our perfect happiness in heaven, and if it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.—Billy Graham

    Pets the world over act as companions, helpers, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Stories Jesus Told: The Compassionate Employer, Matthew …

    This parable, like others Jesus told, starts with the words “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” This phrase tells the listener that Jesus ... (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Inter-Dimensional Web

    Virtually everyone is familiar with the Internet and how interconnected it has made people the world over. Have you considered that as a Christian, you are spiritually interconnected with other believers in an even greater way, through a ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Superhero Within

    Have you ever experienced some particular problem or pain that surprised you by how debilitating it was? Perhaps it was a sore toe, or an earache that outwardly seemed small, but it made your day a major struggle. Then along comes ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • TFI’s Core Values: Love for Humankind

    You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ...

    (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • TFI’s Core Values: Pursuing God’s Spirit

    His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

    Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light ...

    (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Love Never Dies

    Let’s say you’re going through a desperate time and have lost your bearings, or are experiencing loss, suffering, grief, or big changes in life, to the point that you question how you’re going to go on. What can you do? We all know the spiritual ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Stories Jesus Told: The Two Debtors, Luke …

    The parable of the two debtors, or as it’s sometimes referred to, the parable of the Pharisee and the sinful woman, is told in Luke 7:36–50. This is a beautiful story of love, mercy, and thanksgiving. ... (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Look Closer—See Me

    One of the saddest images I can imagine is that of an elderly person suffering, empty and alone. Someone who, having journeyed the long, hard road of life, is now almost at the end. Unless they love the Lord and have hope for the next life, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Stories Jesus Told: The Good Samaritan, Luke …

    Many of us are familiar with the parable of the good Samaritan. However, because we live in cultures very different from that of ... (Video and audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Tragedies and Transformations, Part 2

    Wherever, Whenever, However…

    One of the first experiences I had on my trip to Tijuana, Mexico, was to visit a men’s shelter that houses up to 150 homeless men each night, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Just One Life

    This is a different article than those that I usually place on the DC site. In most cases, the materials that are posted here are directed toward our members. But in the spirit of the Christmas season and the fact that it is a wonderful opportunity ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Quarks in His Glory

    Peter and I were taking a break for a few days to help us to step back a bit from a period of intense writing and TFI business, and we had gone to a beach town for a little solitude. I was taking a walk along the beach in the late afternoon ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Fear of God

    I recently came across a topic that piqued my interest—the fear of God. The Bible speaks a fair bit about fearing God, and one can come away with the impression that we’re supposed to be afraid of God in the sense of being terrified ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Good Food and Friendship

    One of Peter’s hobbies is cooking, although he’s never had a lot of time to devote to it. Now it’s turning out to be a wonderful tool in our ministering to others. The Lord recently reminded me how often He had dinner with people ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • When Ralph Meets Bella

    Have you ever noticed that dogs often seem to have very humanlike reactions and emotions? A few weeks ago one of my friends had to leave her beloved pet with someone else for a time while she was away. I happened to be visiting ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Heart of It All: The Nature and …

    God’s Love

    In earlier articles I’ve written about different attributes of God, including holiness, righteousness, justice, wrath, mercy, patience, and grace. Now we move on ...

    (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Coffee and a Hug?

    Tony Campolo, popular Christian author, speaker, and sociologist, told of an encounter he had as he was walking in downtown Philadelphia: “I noticed a bum walking toward me. He was covered with dirt and soot from head to toe. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Happy Valentine’s Day!

    When I think about Valentine’s Day, a day that’s best known as a time when people give special love gifts to each other, I think most of all of God’s great, sacrificial gift to us in the form of His son, Jesus. Then I think of how all the love that ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Perseverance by Smiley

    For many of us, the hardest part of witnessing is breaking the ice. And the next hardest part is persevering for as long as the Lord shows us to, even when someone doesn’t appear to be receptive. Don’t you find that as you witness to someone, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Bag Lady

    It’s only human to judge people and things by what our eyes see. That’s why Jesus had to admonish us to “judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”[1] In other words, Jesus is telling us ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Love. Live. Preach. Teach.—Live Him, Part 1

    In the last article we covered the first element of being a disciple: Love Him. In this one we move on to the second element: Live Him. Part of the definition of a disciple is ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Love. Live. Preach. Teach.—Love Him

    In the first article of this series I explained that I’m approaching discipleship through four basic elements to being a disciple—Love Him, Live Him, Preach Him, Teach Him—and I ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Two Parties

    I want to share with you two stories about two unusual parties. In attendance at both was a most powerful Personage, who, through the hand of one of His representatives, Tony Campolo, bestowed on the partygoers ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: Hardly Anything or Everything?

    Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” How true! A few simple words, spoken by unassuming people, yet filled with the Lord’s Spirit and love, can reverberate ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: Be a Giver of Kindness

    Everyone craves encouragement. I believe that God wants to encourage people, but a lot of times He needs us to do it. And, believe it or not, we do have what others need. We have God’s love—that is powerful! ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Other Side of the Equation

    In my previous article, I wrote about the importance of forgiveness—bringing out the point that if someone sins against you, you must forgive them if you want to be forgiven by God. ... (Audio included.)

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • The Thorn Factor

    I don’t think that God intended any marriage to be perfect. I think of it as the “thorn” factor that He allows into the equation—that element that we shrink from, but that He knows we need. You may ask ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Merry Christmas 2010!

    Happy, happy Christmas, dear Family! This is the special day, the special Baby, the special Man, the special event, the special love that binds us together with each other—and indeed with all Christians worldwide ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Red Truck

    When most of us who know Jesus think about Christmas, we think of God making the greatest sacrifice, giving the greatest gift, sharing the greatest love, in sending His Son, Jesus. God did all that in delivering His great love gift ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • More from My Faith Treasure Chest

    I recently wrote in “Three Items in My Treasure Chest” about three things that help me to stay focused on faith and that help me to find encouragement in tough times. They were: ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine