love

Can We Talk?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Joan Rivers (a comedian who started in the 60s appearing in nightclubs) catchphrase was, “Can we talk?” I think she wanted people to enter into meaningful dialog about current issues. She must have known the power of communication.

I have said this before, “Communication brings understanding. Understanding brings acceptance. And in the case of a close relationship, acceptance brings love.” When you take the time to listen to someone else, you will begin to understand where they have been and what they have been through, leading to why they act the way they do.

Communication started with God, Adam, and Eve. He talked with them in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. (Gen. 3:8) It is essential to this day to talk to God at any time. He can guide you and give you insight and wisdom into any matter you face. You can ask God anything because He has all the answers. I have often asked him, “How do I …” and He has answered me in many ways.

Talking to people is good, too. It is important to keep a good line of communication open, especially if you are in a relationship with them, whether it is a working one, a neighbor, a friend, or a spouse. Even if one of you isn’t speaking to the other, take the time and effort to find out why. Of course, this may be difficult, depending on the issue, but stay calm and hear the other person out. They may actually be right.

Good conversations can be uplifting, encouraging, and downright fun. They may take time, but spending time with people is a gift. As my father taught me, be generous.

(Photo by StockSnap via Pixabay)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

In the Nick of Time!

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Excerpts from Psalms 107 (MSG)

Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
    His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
    Tell how he freed you from oppression,

Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;

He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.

He poured great drafts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.

Some of you were locked in a dark cell,
    cruelly confined behind bars,
Punished for defying God’s Word,
    for turning your back on the High God’s counsel—
A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,
    and not a soul in sight to help.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.

He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
    broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;

Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
    your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
    so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
    that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;

Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
    tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!

If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
    it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.

How To Change the World

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“I’m dying,” said the man sitting across from me in the small café. I looked around but didn’t see anyone sitting near him. “Did you hear me? I said I’m dying!” He said again. This time, I looked directly at him. “You talking to me?” I asked. “Well, do you see anyone else here?”

I picked up my drink and laptop and moved to his table. “You must want to talk about it.” “I do. I want people to know what took me a lifetime to learn.” “What is that?” I inquired. “How to change the world. You change the world by changing people. You change people by showing them love. There is no greater love than laying down your life for a friend. This is the exact formula Jesus used. He demonstrated perfect love to people, and then He died for them. He also died for you and me. Shouldn’t you be writing this down?” “Oh, yes, sir. I’m typing it into my PC.”

“To be like Christ, we must love people so much that it changes them. Of course, some people will squirm but remain living their way, thinking they know best. Or, they are afraid they will have to give up too much here on Earth. In other words, they would rather think they have something now for a few days than have everything for eternity.

Love wins! Love always wins, and love will always win! Love is the right way to make things better. Love is the best way to say, ‘I hear you.’ Love doesn’t insist on proving it is right. You see, “love” doesn’t seek it’s own. Love thinks of the other person first. Love understands where they are coming from. Why they are the way they are without compromising who they are.

Love shows they kindly understand but gently challanges the other to grow in the right direction and the proper ways without imposing a deadline for them to achieve, but doesn’t get loud in speech when they don’t. Love hopes for the best in everyone.”

“Wow,” I replied. “I can see how those receiving love would want to respond positively and then share that kind of love with others.” “You’re right,” he said. “I just wished I had learned this much earlier in life. I didn’t, and as a result, I hurt many people. I thought I was loving them by wanting them to live life the way I do. My life has been simple, with little chaos, and extremely organized. I accepted Jesus at a young age, and my relationship with God has made life bearable. I wanted others to have what I had. Though my motivation may have been pure, my words and methods weren’t always the best.”

“I appreciate your wisdom and your honesty. I assure you I will share this with the world. I hope others will take it to heat and start doing more to love people.” I said to the man. He got up and threw out his trash. When he returned to our table, he had a tear in his eye. He thanked me for listening and sharing what took him a lifetime to learn.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:7-18 (NIV)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

God’s Love Reflected

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Photo by: srkcalifano via Pixabay

I quietly walked into the bedroom and positioned myself to see through the partially opened bathroom door. April was getting ready to go out. She was busy and didn’t notice me standing there watching her. I was admiring my beautiful wife while she was using the mirror to apply stuff (I have no idea what it was) to her face.

Then, somehow, she noticed me, and without turning to face me, her eyes glistened, and she smiled. I hope I remember that moment and image for the rest of my life because it was the warmest, softest look of love I have ever seen. That one look melted my heart, and I felt loved.

April knows God, and God is love. (1 John 4:8) Therefore, April knows how to love because God first loved her. Even when she was still a sinner, God loved her. April displays a lot of the characteristics of true love. She is patient, kind, forgiving, and understanding, among other things. God watches all of us all the time. I imagine the look of love I saw April share is expressed on God’s face when we stop and look at Him.

The world needs true love these days more than ever! People need to see unselfish love in action. Love, God’s way, takes time but speaks volumes when it is said. The world is hurting and in so much pain. They’re desperately looking, searching for one to love them unconditionally. That is why revealing the source is so important for us who have found that kind of love. Stop hiding it from people. You have nothing to lose by sharing God’s love, but they have everything to gain.

The Way of Love

13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. 1 Cor. 13:1-7 (MSG)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

Just Try It

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Photo by: Ingo Joseph

While growing up, I had an aunt that had something for us to eat that I had never put in my mouth before, seemingly every time we went to her house! I think everyone did. I would try my best to resist, but her argument was logical. “How do you know you don’t like it if you have never tried it?” “Because it looks and smells disgusting!” I usually wanted to reply but didn’t. She would insist, “Just try it!”

Some scriptures in the Bible can be a little difficult to understand. I came across one many years ago:

 O taste and see that the Lord is good Psa. 34:8a (KJV)

One Sunday morning, we were standing during the worship service. I looked down and noticed a cute infant in front of me. Then I witnessed the child put a set of keys in its mouth. He made a funny face and immediately took the keys out of his mouth. All of a sudden, Psalms 34:8 went through my mind. I got it. I understand now. Like a child puts things in their mouth to know if it is good or not, we can try God to see that He is good.

There is the fruit of the Spirit which is the same as that of God. Love, Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is also the nature of God. His character. You only know if the fruit is good or sour by putting it in your mouth, by tasting it. You can try God and see that He is good and that his nature is good.

It seems as if a lot of people are trying to deal with life and its issues by any other means than having a relationship with God. I was watching a movie recently where people were placing rocks on their abdomens believing and expecting these dead things to help them. Now that takes a lot of faith! I would rather try a living God that knows me and loves me. How do you know you don’t like God? Have you tried Him? Have you tried living according to the word of God? Couldn’t you use more love, joy, peace, etc., in your life?

Modern translations like “The Message” can help us understand certain scriptures. That is one of the values of them. Take Psalms 34:8, for instance:

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
    how good God is.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Oh No, They Didn’t!

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment
Photo by: Andrea Piacquadio

One of the most challenging things about life is having relationships with people! I haven’t been shy about my allergy to people. If given a choice, I avoid them, but that can be hard to do when you work, have friends, or have a love life. It doesn’t matter if that love is within a marriage or if one is dating.

I recently became aware of a person who is dating, and the relationship hit a major snag. I understand the feeling of being cheated on (I should insert here, not by my wife, April.). But when we get hurt by a relationship, what’s the appropriate reaction?

Should we curl up and die? Do we withdraw from life, turn off the lights and hide? Press the pause button?

Some might seek revenge and physically harm the other person or their property, or worse, hook up with someone else. That saying, “Two wrongs don’t make a right!” is undoubtedly true.

Jesus was cheated on, betrayed, so He knows the pain you are going through or have gone through. We should look at how He reacted when his friend, Judas-Iscariot, his co-worker, hurt him. First, Peter got angry and went for revenge by cutting off the ear of one there to arrest Jesus. Jesus commanded him to stop, and then Jesus healed the man’s ear and went peacefully with them. (Matthew 26:47-56)

Judas no doubt knew that Jesus still loved him and forgave him but could not handle the guilt. And that is why I think he committed suicide. Sad! Loving and forgiving sets you free. It doesn’t tell the other person, “What you did to me was okay.” it does tell them, “I’m not going to allow your actions to stop me from living life!”

I, too, know it’s hard, and fair warning, it will take time to get over it. And you will have to make that decision many times to forgive and to go on living and loving. It’s not a “one-time” decision.

Keep in mind responding inappropriately can not only hurt you or put you in jail, but it can hurt those around you. How you decide to respond can have life-changing and long-lasting results. Forgiving and loving is best.

Prayer: Father God, if someone reading this post is currently living with this kind of pain or has and hasn’t dealt with it, then I ask you to help them. Comfort them, Father, and help them to ask you for assistance in dealing with the pain and respond in a forgiving and loving way. Help them remember your Son, Jesus, has “been there!” Assure them that life will go on, and they will be a survivor. Thank you, Amen.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Inside Out

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment
Photo by: Pexels

“I never wanted you to see The darkest part of me.” A line in a song by Red. I have said that many times. I don’t like it when I lose self-control, and someone gets hurt. I don’t mean it to happen, and I definitely don’t want it to happen, but it does sometimes.

The darkest part of me is big, loud, mean, and ugly. It violates the scripture of Eph. 4:29. (Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, Amp.) Whenever it happens, I am embarrassed and immediately feel guilty. The Holy Spirit quickly convicts me of my sin, and I seek out the person I offended to apologize.

I was thinking about this the other day and wondered, what if I put on God’s armor? I know in Eph. 6:11-12 we are taught that it helps protects us against external attacks by the devil. But could some armor also protect others from the darkest parts of us getting out and hurting them?

If I was to put on a “Helmet of Salvation,” it might remind me I am saved from death. Therefore, I am in Christ and a Christian. Called a, “Christian” means being Christ-like. If I am an authentic Christian, then I need to act like Christ. Jesus Christ would not and didn’t hurt others by any means. Yet he did face frustration and anger but stayed in control while dealing with it.

If I do this and make it a regular practice in my life over time, I think I will change. As I become more like Jesus, the love in him will be in me. That love shining inside will be light that will cast out the darkness. That’s what light does. Eventually, what’s on the inside that comes out won’t hurt people but will cause them to feel loved.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Is It Too Loud?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments
Photo by: Anthony via Pexels.com

I know a lady who was once asked to find another church by the pastor’s wife! Why? Allegedly, her worship was too loud. Perhaps the “offender” took attention away from the pastor’s wife’s own loud worship, but I am not sure. Regardless, it was wrong. The lady was devested. When I got to talk to her about the situation, she said she couldn’t help her worship being that loud. She went on to share that if people knew the kind of life God saved her from, they would understand why her worship, praise, and gratitude to God were so exuberant.

Does our praise and witness of God’s love turn people off? Does it cause them not to want to be around us or in any way be like us? Does that list include friends and family members?

Like the lady above, Paul was loud about preaching the good news. About the saving grace of God. Paul knew the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus, and he wanted everyone else to know too. He, also, was appreciative of the life Jesus saved him from. To quiet him down, he was beaten and thrown into prison. Fortunately for us, while he was there, he let his pen do the talking and, while in one prison after another, wrote most our New Testament.

We certainly don’t want to water down our witness, especially to please people, but I think there is a way to balance it out where they want to be around us. We need them to be with us so they can feel the love of God through us. I know Jesus had this balance down pat. People flocked around him because he was full of the Holy Spirit. He spoke words of love. It didn’t hurt that he performed miracles too. And we can do the same. Jesus even said in John 14, verse 12:

I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. (AMPC)

So seek a balance with the volume of your witnessing life. Know your audience. Know when to turn it up and when to perhaps press mute and let your actions speak louder than words. I once led my neighbors to God by caring about them and, with my actions, doing what I could do to help them. It wasn’t long before the man of the house asked, “Why are you so different?” That’s when I turned up the volume and shared the good news of the saving grace of God that changes us.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

What is Love?

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Love, to me, is like riding a roller coaster.  When you first encounter a roller coaster, you have never been on before you are filled with excitement, wonder, amazement, and even a little scared.  You agree to get on the ride, and the attendant helps you with the restraining device.  The ride starts moving, and you get a half smile on your face simply because you really don’t know what you are in for, and then comes the first hill.

At the top of the first hill is the least scary moment of a ride, but seconds later you will be screaming your head off, hanging on to that restraining device as if your life depends on it, and in reality, it does.  There are twists and turns and ups and downs and tunnels of darkness, and even loops that can change your perspective, and it is about then you say to yourself, “What was I thinking?”  You ride, you hang on, you go through all that commotion and then you are back into the station.  The ride stops.  It is time to get off.  You stagger to the exit, the contents in your stomach have been shaken, not stirred, and you certainly feel it, yet what do you proclaim out loud, “I want to ride it again!”

In a dating relationship, one can certainly get off the ride, but there are some coasters you ride till death do you part.  Now that would make an interesting sign above the entrance to a coaster.  My kids and I love coasters.  There was one Saturday at Six Flags Great America the park wasn’t too busy, and we rode 40 times on roller coasters.  On the last coaster of the day, we stayed on continuously 16 times.  We, as humans, are addicted to love.  We like it, we want it, we crave it, and we need it.

For the past couple of days, I have listened to people on TV try to say what love is.  None of them, even the ones with “Ph.D.” after their names even came close.  Real love is as described in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, and it takes this kind of love (God’s kind of love) to stay in any relationship, from friends to coworkers, to family, and to the spouse.  Let me list a few here:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. (NIV)

The real test to see if YOU are “love” is to replace the word “love” in the above section and insert your name.  You can certainly insert the name of Jesus in there, for we know He is love.  So if you are currently in any relationship let love be your restraint, and hang on.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Nine Lives?

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Photo by: Marko Blazevic

They say cats have nine lives, and in some weird cases, that may be true, but a man?

“I have fallen off two roofs, maybe three, I can’t remember. I was digging a hole for a tank, and I hit a transmission line. I was lying on the ground about forty-five feet away when I woke up. A witness said there were lots of sparks and I should have died. Then there was the time I was involved in a vehicle accident where my truck went off the road and landed in some trees thirty feet above the ground,” said a man I had recently met.

I was shocked and amazed, and my reaction showed it. Then he said there had been several other times he probably shouldn’t have survived. The phrase of having “nine lives” was spoken. I sensed the Holy Spirit, and I said. “Man! God really must love you because your life has been spared so many times!”

“I don’t know about that.” He said.

“Well, do you have a personal relationship with God?”

“No.”

I then explained how one could have a personal relationship with God by asking His Son, Jesus, into their heart. How doing so would forgive them of their sin and wrongdoing. He squirmed and acted like he didn’t want to hear this. Then I felt as though he thought if he accepted Jesus into his life, he would have to change his behavior. I explained to him that getting to know God is the best thing to do. Start loving Him back. I mentioned how a relationship with God was not about “rules” or “do’s and don’ts.”

 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16-18 (MSG)

I went on to explain that everyone will die once, not nine times. Then they will be standing before God giving an account of how they lived their life. I explained how if one has accepted Jesus, they will continue that loving relationship with God for eternity in heaven. Or they will be forever separated from God’s presence in hell if they have not. He said he was a good man, and I agreed that he was. But I then informed him that our good doesn’t forgive us of our wrongs. That is why we needed Jesus. How Jesus was a perfect sacrifice for sin when He died on the cross.

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation. Heb. 9:27-28 (MSG)

He then told me that he had to return to the project he was working on. My heart was broken knowing how much God loves us all. He simply wants us to receive His love and have a great relationship with him. Before we finished our conversation, I told him that he had heard the truth and there was no way he would ever be able to tell God, “No one told me!” Now you have been told as well.

Prayer: God, may everyone receive your love and your Son, Jesus, into their life. May they experience that love in all areas of their life. May they feel your love and go tell others so that no one will perish but have everlasting life with you.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.