“Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.” (1 John 2.10, ESV)¹

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¹In the immediate context, John wrote, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2.9-11, ESV)

How is there no cause for stumbling? If we love our brethren we will not stumble over bitterness, malice, haughtiness, hate, revenge, jealousy, envy, strife, anger, grudges, etc. Instead, we will love, seek peace, seek the best for others, strive not to provoke one another, show patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness to each other, etc.

Are you tired of living in a world full of hated and anger? Let the Franklin Drive church demonstrate to you exactly what love and peace is. Visit with us and contact Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905 if you’re interested in learning more about God’s will for your life.

“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. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4.9-10, ESV).¹

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¹God gave us the Bible through inspired men to reveal the love He has for all mankind. Within its pages, the apostles show the cross of Christ as our focal point of faith. Therefore, the love God made known is the love we must reciprocate if we are to be His children (1 John 4.19; 3.2). We accomplish this through obedience and faithfulness to Him (John 14.15).

John continued, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (4.11-12). The reason we are to love one another is because God loved us. Further, we are to love the Father because, “…he first loved us” (19).

The Father’s love was sacrificial. He sent His Son to die on a cross for our sins (John 3.16). Thus, if His love for us cost Him something, our love for Him ought to cost us something. His sacrifice teaches us that love is not selfish, but looks out for the interest of others (1 Cor. 13.5; Phil. 2.4). Are we willing to count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ? We must forsake the world and forsake sin. We must love the Father and love one another. This will take sacrifice on our part!

If you’re interested in learning more about God’s love, please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

"O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 97.10, ESV)¹

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¹Any Bible student knows that God hates sin. The apostle John taught "that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1.5, ESV). The Psalmist declared, "...you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness..." (Psalm 45.7, ESV) and "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119.104, ESV). Additionally, God requires those who claim allegiance to Him to "Hate evil, and love good...." (Amos 5.15, ESV). Since Christ died on the cross because of sin, one can be absolutely sure that sin is in complete opposition to everything God is, and stands for. Peter wrote, "...who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2.24, ESV). Notice the connection: Jesus suffered and died for our sins (1 Peter 3.18) so that we would die to sin and live for righteousness (Romans 6). In other words, we choose to abhor what is evil and love what is good (see Rom. 12.9). The truth is clear; we can only love Jesus if we hate sin.

The Bible teaches us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6.24); nor can we claim allegiance to both sin and righteousness (Rom. 6.16-18). The question then is, who is your master? Who do you love? Jesus or this world? If you're interested in learning how to love Jesus over sin email Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

2 Timothy 3.4 ESV "...treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."¹

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¹Our focus will be on the words "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God". In a nutshell, Paul explains what exactly is wrong with this world; we have become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Those who are lovers of pleasure purposely seek it, embrace it, and worship it. In fact, pleasure has become their god! This is the consequence of a world that has forgotten and ultimately rejected God (Rom. 1.18-32). However, those who love God more than “the cares and riches and pleasures of life” will remain faithful until the end where they will find eternal blessings (see Luke 8.14-15; Heb. 11.6; 1 Peter 1.8-9). These blessings outweigh any amount of pleasure we can possibly imagine in our lifetime. Moses is a great example of one who chose to love the eternal God rather than the temporary pleasures of this world (Heb. 11.25-26; 1 John 2.15-17).

What about you? Will you forfeit eternity because of passing pleasures of this life? Please understand that worldly pleasures will not “fill the void in your life,” or give you true happiness that so many pleasure seekers strive to find; only Christ can do that. Let us help you become a lover of God rather than a lover of pleasure. Email Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

John 13.34 ESV “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”¹

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¹It has always been the case that man was to love his neighbor as himself (see Lev. 19.18). Therefore, when Jesus commanded His followers to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22.39), this was not some new idea. However, there was a new command that had not been practiced before. This new command was to love one another as Christ loved them. Jesus demonstrated true love when He laid down His life for all of mankind (1 John 4.8-11, 19). Therefore, it can be said that He gave love a new meaning (see also John 15.12-13; 1 John 3.16).

Do you want to learn more about the love of Christ? E-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.