Articles!

Keep The Romance
Jude 17-23

Keep yourselves in the love of God. —Jude 21

Is the romance still going on in our relationship with Jesus? When we first came in faith to Christ, we experienced the joy of knowing our sins were forgiven and we were adopted into His family. Our hearts were full and overflowing with love for the Lord. We longed to please Him.

As time passed, however, the zeal of our first love may have begun to cool. That's why we need to take to heart the words of Jude in his brief letter. He wrote, "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (v.21). Jesus used similar terms when He said, "Abide in My love" (John 15:9-10). We nurture that love when we focus on pleasing Him instead of ourselves.

Keep the romance going. — David C. Egner

"Keep yourselves in the love of God"Is what He says to do;Feeding on His Word each day,You'll find His love anew. —Hess

To renew your love for Christ, review His love for you.

Overcoming Envy
1 Peter 3:8-12

Be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers. —1 Peter 3:8

It's understandable to want to be a success like a neighbor. But it is wrong to have an attitude that says, "If I can't have it, I don't want anyone else to have it either."

I was about 13 when I began to realize that my 10-year-old brother Len's athletic skills were greater than mine. At first a tinge of resentment rose up within me, but it didn't have a chance to develop into a strong feeling of envy. Why? Because I loved Len. I soon began to take pride in his athletic achievements and felt with him the joy of victory and the agony of defeat.

That experience taught me that love and envy cannot coexist in the human heart. Now, whenever envy rears its ugly head, I recall how my love for Len drove it out of me. I also remember the admonition of 1 Peter 3:8, "Love as brothers." It enables me to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15).

Being committed to loving others is the secret to overcoming envy. — Herbert Vander Lugt

From seeds of envy in the heartSpring up the noxious weeds of hate;So help me, Lord, to love the oneWhom I find hard to tolerate. —D. De Haan

A daily dose of Christlike love will heal the heart disease of envy.