2 GLAD TIDINGS AUGUST 2024 Non-denominational Christian Newspaper Sharing the Gospel of Jesus the Christ MAIL P. O. BOX 1116 - DOUGLAS - GA 31534 E- MAIL Editor@GladTidings.news OFFICE PHONE (912) 384- 6896 ADMINISTRATION EDITOR AND PUBLISHER.........Quinnelle McRae VOLUNTEERS CARTOONS/JoyfulToons...................Mike Waters EDITORIAL WRITERS .......... Gary Toole, Peggy Clark, Sara Goldstein, Mark Hankins PROOF READER.. .............................Peggy Clark PHOTOGRAPHY.... ................. Quinnelle McRae ADVERTISING.............................Quinnelle McRae SUBMISSIONS We invite and welcome articles, testimonies, poems, announcements, church news, church histories, recipes or any other inspirational writings. Submissions will not be accepted that exceed 350 words. Publisher assumes no liability for unsolicited art, photographs, manuscripts or other materials. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject all material which goes against Glad Tidings policy. Glad Tidings will not engage in any controversy and does not endorse any religious expression, viewpoint, opinions or doctrines. The printing of Glad Tidings Newspaper is financed solely through advertisements and contributions. You may contact our office for Ad prices. DATES Glad Tidings is published bi-monthly Publication is the 3rd Tuesday of 1st month Advertising & Editorials due 3 weeks before publication .DISTRIBUTION The print edition of Glad Tidings is distributed Free of Charge in Coffee, Atkinson, Jeff Davis, Telfair, Wheeler, Ben Hill, Irwin, Cook, Bacon, Ware, and Tift counties. All churches are welcome to as many copies as they would like to pass out to their congregation. Call the office telephone number for more information. The digital edition is free and available on-line at www.GladTidings.news GLAD TIDINGS - ALL Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. © Our Mission at Glad Tidings is to reach as many as possible with the good news of JESUS CHRIST u Please thank our advertisers and volunteers for making possible the sharing of Glad Tidings with you! AUGUST 2024 Sow your Seed into the Good Ground of Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Several years ago an extensive survey was conducted in the United States questioning people of various ages and occupations. The key question was“what are you looking for most in life?” When the results were compiled, the analysts were surprised; most of them expected answers that would suggest materialistic goals, but the top three things that people wanted in life were love, joy, and peace, the first three fruits of the spirit. “But the fruit of the spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; AGAINST SUCH THERE IS NO LAW”. Because love, joy and peace come from God, you could say man’s greatest need in life is God. God is love (1John 4:8). He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and He is the joy of our salvation (Neh. 8:10). The fruit of the spirit is produced from our born-again human spirit, because of the life that comes from abiding in the Vine (Jesus Christ). Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the VINE, ye are the BRANCHES: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing”. Jesus is saying without Him (without being born again) this fruit cannot be in your life because love, joy, and peace come from Him. Outside of Him there is no life, love, joy and peace. Even some Christians, if they are not abiding in Him (His Word) do not have the fruit evident in their life. Love is the source of life. For us to experience the kind of life that God wants for us, we need an understanding of God’s love. God’s love is not the same as natural human love. Natural human love is unstable and can change to hate overnight, but God’s love never changes. When we talk about love so often it is thought of as merely an emotional high. The greater our emotions are effected, the more we “love”. But true love, that is the God kind of love, is based upon our commitment to the person loved. According to 1 John 5:3 love is keeping the commandments. When a person loves God they seek to obey His Word. It is our commitment that determines the level of love that we have for God. We know that marriages today are not being built on God’s love, because if they were, there would not be an escalation of divorce. The Biblical view of marriage is that it is a covenant contract. It is based upon the commitment of the two individuals to one another under the direct law of God. Marriage was not instituted by man. Marriage is a Divine Institution, established by God in heaven. I think it would help us to see more clearly what love means if we could understand the different meanings of the Greek words on love. There are four words for love in the Greek: Agape, Phileo, Storge and Eros. Agape (a-goppay) is a love awakened by a sense of value or preciousness. It is an esteeming or prizing of the worth of someone or something. Phileo (Fa-lay-o) is a love that responds to the pleasure it finds from someone or something. It is conditional and derives its motivation by its feelings and emotions. Storge (store-ge) is the natural, physical affection detected through touch. It may be a handshake, it may be a hug or a pat on the back. It can even be the feel of a certain object such as a material. You might say “I love the feel of the fabric on this coat”. Eros (Air-os) is the romantic side of love; what we term as passion or sex. In our English language we have called love love, and put it all in one category. But, there are different meanings and different ways love is expressed. The God kind of love is an unconditional love. The world knows nothing of God’s love and very little of phileo. True friendship is phileo at its fineness. But even that, the world knows so little of. Their love is mostly storge and eros. If it feels good, do it! Consequently, the love of the world can never find true happiness, nor can it even be lasting. God’s love is not that way. God’s love is based on the valuableness of the person loved. To see someone as valuable and precious and to treat them that way. It is the only thing strong enough to offset and override the force of eros (sex). A double safeguard against immorality. In a dating relationship it is the force that you have going for you to handle the pressure of Eros (sex). Agape finds its fulfillment in giving to please, not seeking to be pleased. When God’s love is put first in our lives, no matter what area it is in, whether in our marriage, our relationship with one another at church, our families, our friends, or even in our relationship with God, it always finds its deepest meaning in our commitment to that person, no matter how we feel or what the circumstances we face dictate. The God kind of love is an unconditional love. A good example of the kind of love and qualities to look for are in Genesis 24:1-67. Abraham made his servant swear he would find his son a mate among his own kindred. Many times we do not see the true character of a person until it is too late to get out of the relationship. Too often looking at the outward appearance and not the inner qualities of the person. Using much wisdom, Abraham sent his servant back to his homeland and to his own people to find a wife for Isaac. When the servant arrived in Mesopotamia, he stopped outside the city at a well where all the woman go to draw water, and he prayed to God for direction and help. And it came to pass, before he finished praying, Rebekah came with her pitcher upon her shoulder. The servant ran to meet her and asked for a drink of water. “And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.... See MAN’S NEED- Pg 10 MANʼS GREATEST NEED REV. QUINNELLE MCRAE
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