God’s Lighthouse God’s love is like a lighthouse, with a special kind of light. Instead of just spinning round and round, this light shines out in many focused beams upon each and every Christian, of every Christian denomination and group, giving enough light to illuminate the next step each needs to take in the correct path of light, to see and not stumble. It shines out to each and every Christian wherever they may be in the Lord, on land or sea, throughout the world, and in every Christian denomination or group, without missing a one. It keeps each one in the light forever, and draws every Christian closer to the lighthouse, and to each other, with every step taken in the lighted path. The lighthouse is God, and the light is Jesus, because God is love and God is His own love to His children. Jesus is God’s own love forever to us all, forever to all who believe that He is that love to all Christians, of every Christian denomination and group. Like the beams of light emanating from the lighthouse, God’s own love in Jesus originates in the Father’s heart, and goes out from the Father’s heart in all directions, focused to meet each believer at the point of need, keeping each one in the light. Each believer must, of course, turn from the darkness and see that light, and choose to walk in it. Because we know Jesus is the Father’s own love in the Father’s own heart for all of His children, we know that Jesus is in His Father, as He said, “I am in my Father”. *If* we choose to walk in the light of that love that comes out to all of the Father’s children, then we know we’re in Jesus, as He said, “and ye in me”. And we know Jesus is in us as He put it, “and I in you”, *if* we know that Jesus, who is God’s own love to all Christians forever, is in us. Both parts, us in Him and Him in us, are saying the same thing *if* we know that we obey all of His commandments, including His new one to love all Christians, of every Christian denomination and group, enough to lay down our lives for one another, in every Christian denomination and group. That’s a big *if*. It’s the same “if” Jesus used both ways, us in Him and Him in us. If we merely manage to do what we’re commanded in this regard, finally attaining at least to the position of unprofitable servants, we not only abide in the light directly from the source, but the light also shines through us, coming out of us to all the other Christians. This is us Christians in Jesus, abiding together in the Father’s love for all His children, in every Christian denomination and group: John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. This is Jesus in us Christians, the Father’s love for all His children coming out from us where everyone can see it to each and every one of our brothers and sisters in Christ, of every Christian denomination and group: John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. The first Christians knew well that big “if” the day the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, first fell on them, and came into their hearts on the first Pentecost after His resurrection. They knew that they were in obedience to the new command of Jesus to love every sister and brother in Christ, because every Christian alive was there together with them in that room. They all knew they loved each other as commanded. And in their knowledge of that obedience, the Holy Ghost came out from the Father, into their hearts, and worked great miracles through them for the world to see. The Father and the Son also came into their hearts to abide with them there where they kept the words of the commandments said by Jesus, coming from the Father. John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. If we humble ourselves to wash each other’s feet in complete mutual forgiveness, if we crucify in ourselves the old carnal man that causes division and strife, we will show the light of some self-sacrifice commanded by Jesus to every Christian, in every Christian denomination and group. Like the light from the lighthouse itself, we won’t miss a one. We will show some self-sacrifice that each of the other Christians will recognize as part of Jesus, part of the Father’s love for all His children, in recognition of the sacrifice Jesus made for us all. And to each, the light of that self-sacrifice by the other will appear to come not from us, but from Him and from the lighthouse. The sacrifice of Jesus was what made us, each, turn from the darkness to look at the light of God’s love in the first place. Our own sacrifice is to now find a way to let each other Christian see the same light of God’s love in us. By our sacrifices of love to each other in Christ, together we then reflect the light of God’s love for all His children, for the world to turn toward the lighthouse and see the sacrifice of Jesus available for themselves. If we make the right kind of sacrifice, we hold up Jesus to be seen and not ourselves. The other Christian won’t see us at all, because we will be hidden in the bright glare of the glory coming from the Father’s heart, the glory the Father gave Jesus, which Jesus in turn gave us, that we may be one in Jesus, the name of the Father’s love for all His children. The glory given us that we may be one in Him, is the same word, “glory”, that referred to His first miracle, and the same “glory” that Jesus spoke of when he raised Lazarus from the dead. John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? The Father is in Jesus, as Jesus said, “as thou, Father, art in me”, in the light that comes out from the lighthouse, because the Father is His own love to His children, and His love is in His child, Jesus. John 10:30 I and my Father are one. As we unite in Jesus, we will come together more and more to abide with Jesus in the Father’s love for all His children, beholding the glory of that love forever. And as the world looks on from the darkness all around us, it will look at the body of Christ through every Christian believer, in every Christian denomination and group, through every one of us who believes the words of the apostles telling us Jesus is God’s love. Through us who know Him as such, the world will see that Jesus is the name of God’s love as Jesus declared it to us, love for all of God’s children, in every Christian denomination and group. The world will look through each of us to see the light growing brighter and brighter, more and more from one direction only. They will know the Light is Jesus. And they will know the Light came out from God. John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. *************************************************** Love in Jesus to All! 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