Corona Devo 3132

The Bible (God!) says to love one another. 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  ~John 13:34-35  

The Bible says to love our neighbor.  

...‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  ~Matthew 22:39

The Bible says to love your brother.

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.  ~I Thessalonians 4:9

And...of course, first and foremost, the Bible says for us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength.

  • Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (38) This is the first and great commandment.  ~Matthew 22:37-38 
  • “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  ~Deuteronomy 6:4

But over and over in the Bible (New and Old Testaments), God tells us that He loves His (Jewish) people and the land of Jerusalem and Israel...and that we should too.

  • For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: (14) “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.  ~Psalm 132:13-14 
  • Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.  ~Psalm 122:6
  • “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. ~Deuteronomy 7:6
  • This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”  ~Zechariah 8:3  
  • The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble.  But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.  ~Joel 3:16
  • On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. (17)The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”  ~Zephaniah 3:16-17 
  • At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.  ~Jeremiah 3:17

~~~

Do we read God's Word?
Do we discount God's Word as outdated or unrelated?  
Do we assess that Obadiah (an Old Testament prophet) was writing to the people of Edom (southern Jordan and Israel) only?

Or do we read the Bible and believe the relevancy and the truth of the Bible?

  • For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  ~Hebrews 4:12 
  • Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.  ~Hebrews 13:8

Yes, we should  love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength.

Yes, we should love one another. 

Yes, we should  love our neighbor.  

Yes, we should love our brother.

And yes--we should love Israel and God's people of Israel...or else, God says through the prophet Obadiah.

 “The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations!  As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you.  
All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads. 
(16) Just as you swallowed up my people on my holy mountain, so you and the surrounding nations will swallow the punishment I pour out on you.  
Yes, all you nations will drink and stagger and disappear from history. 
(17) “But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape; it will be a holy place.  And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance.
(18) The people of Israel will be a raging fire, and Edom a field of dry stubble.  
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame roaring across the field, devouring everything.  
There will be no survivors in Edom.  I, the Lord, have spoken!  ~Obadiah 1:15-18


Over and over in the Bible and today, God tells us that He loves His (Jewish) people and the land of Jerusalem and Israel...and that we should too.

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