But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV
Warrior;
What a great verse of HOPE and LONGING. I love reading the different translations. All the different translations, or transliterations are man’s attempt to get it right. There is not a direct word for word exchange from Greek to English, from Hebrew to English, from Aramaic to English. English is a limited language especially comparatively to those languages aforementioned. The Berean Literal Bible translations says,” what God has prepared for those loving Him.” That infers an “ongoing’ affection, a continuous action and feeling. Some versions speak of the ‘Mind of man’ imagining, others like the NASB, talk about, ‘WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HUMAN HEART’. In the word of God, when God talks about the HEART, HE is talking about the center of our focus, our deepest desires, what we think about, crave, desire…on a regular basis. When the Bible talks about ‘the heart’, it is really talking about our mental focus on a regular basis. This is what Jesus means, in the Sermon on the Mount when He says in Matthew 6: 19-21; “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God is talking about the deepest desires, your continual focus- that is your primary passion, that is your “heart”.
Leader, I enjoy the Amplified Bible, because just like it says, it AMPLIFIES the meaning. The Amplified Bible expands on the word LOVE; ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].” There are many verses that condition themselves on ONE THING- FOR THOSE, who LOVE GOD. Romans 8:28 is a great example of this. One of the most quoted scriptures, and notice again, the caveat: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of THOSE WHO LOVE GOD and are called according to his purpose for them. Consider 1 John 5: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who LOVES the Father LOVES whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:1-3) The Apostle that Jesus Loved, the writer of the GOSPEL OF LOVE, John talks about the LOVE OF GOD. He says if you LOVE GOD, then you will LOVE what GOD LOVES. Love is a verb it is not a noun, that is what John 3:16 tells us; For God so loved the world…HE DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT! If we love GOD, then we will LOVE what God LOVES, and we will LOVE who GOD LOVES, and who LOVES GOD. Do you LOVE, WHO GOD loves, and do you LOVE what GOD LOVES? How much time do you spend in HIS WORD, daily? How stirred up do you get when GOD is attacked, and mocked? Do you vote for people who mock God, who hate God, who spurn God, who remove God from everyday life, business, and government? How can the LOVE OF GOD, the LOVE for God be in you then? This is why we are called to examine ourselves, to see if we are TRULY in the FAITH! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Conduit, another aspect of LOVE, especially in relationship to Jehovah is that we also despise, hate what God hates. In Proverbs 6:16-19 God Himself tells us, ‘the seven things God hates’, it is a catalog of sins. While these are not the only sins that should be avoided, they do sum up most of the wicked things condemned by God. There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. The seven things God hates are the sins that deal with the deep heart motives of the individual. The writer of Proverbs points the finger straight at our hearts and our sinful thought processes. God even lists out the basics of all sin, the base WORKS OF THE FLESH. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 John 2:15-16) Which brings us to the ultimate LITMUS TEST, for if you LOVE GOD, or not! You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4) The question we must ask ourselves today, is DO WE LOVE GOD? In today’s ever darkening America, and world- how are you doing? As America votes according to the flesh, and is running away from God, how are you doing? Are you hitting obstacles? Are things going great, or do you feel like there are forces working against you? Do you think the direction of America is going well, or that the WORLD is getting better? These honest answers will give you a reading, a temperature on whether you LOVE GOD and HATE what HE HATES. Maybe, the TIME IS NOW to repent of following the flesh, following the world, following people who are NOT following God! Matthew 3:2 in the AMP Bible reads: “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The TIME IS NOW!
Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional 