#144 LTLT S5 EP 18: Unpacking Unconditional Love and Authority Through 1 John 3:11-15

Can unconditional love change how you confront life's challenges? Join me, Catherine, as we explore this profound question in our latest session of "Learning to Live in Truth." We begin with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God's guidance as we unpack the transformative teachings of 1 John, chapter 3, verse 11. We'll reflect on Jesus' mission to dismantle evil and our call to evolve into who God intends us to be. I encourage you to take notes and, if possible, start from earlier episodes for a richer understanding. 

Today's episode also delves into the essence of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Through stories and real-life examples, such as a police officer who maintains kindness in the face of disrespect, we'll see how true love transcends mere actions. We also discuss the misuse of authority and the necessity of empathy, compassion, and accountability in our lives. With God's guidance, we seek to become more loving, aligning ourselves with Jesus' teachings. Don't miss tomorrow's continuation as we journey further through 1 John, chapter 3, starting at verse 16.

Chapters

• 0:15 Living Truth Through 1 John
• 4:01 The Power of Unconditional Love
• 15:20 Understanding the Abuse of Authority

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Hello, hello and welcome back one more time, learning to live in truth. Amen. I am your host, catherine, and I am so glad to be before you one more time. Yeah, yeah, it's a brand new day, a day that the Lord has given us, not promised to us, amen. So I hope that you're ready to get into the word again. If you are riding along or it just kind of popped up in your feed not an accident, absolutely not an accident and I just pray that you will give me your listening ear for the next 20, 15, 20 minutes as we go through, as we continue to journey through 1 John, chapter 3. Amen, you're writing, you're at home, you're at a place where you can sit. Still, I hope you got some paper, I hope you got a journal, something to kind of take you some notes, because you never know what season you might just need this lesson for Amen.

Speaker 1: 1:19

So, without further ado, let us go ahead and get ready to get into the word Amen. So, father, we thank you so much for your grace and your mercy. Thank you, god, for allowing us to stay in this time to get into your word one more time. I pray for every diamond that is here, every ear that is listening, that what they need will be given to them today. I pray that you will use me as your willing vessel to be used by you. I pray in the name of Jesus that not only would this speak to everyone else, but it would speak to me first. I pray, god, that you would just have your way in me and through me. Father, we all love you so much and we're so very grateful and so thankful for we turn this time over to you that you'll have your way in it. In Jesus Christ name, we do pray. Hey man, hey man, all right y'all.

Speaker 1: 2:09

So, uh, we are um picking up here at verse 11, verse 11 of first John, chapter 3, amen. And then, and where we left off on yesterday, um really primarily talked about the fact that jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, amen. That um, he himself would be manifested in us um hall, that we would become just like him, amen. So we definitely have permission to grow into who God has made us to be, not by the will of people but out of the will of God, amen. So, if you didn't have a chance to check out yesterday's's episode, which would have been from first john, chapter 3, verse 8 through 10. Um, season 5, episode 17 um, you, if you don't stop here, just if you stop here, just stop. Go back to that one and then listen to this one because, um, it flow. Yeah, you want it to flow, naturally. Amen.

Speaker 1: 3:23

And as we go through these chapters, amen, especially if this is your first time listening. If you happen to catch it, like, right in the middle, there's always a beginning. Yeah. So it's always my best advice to start from the beginning. Wherever you start, it, start from the beginning. Wherever you started, start at the beginning. Yeah, because wherever you start is always the root. This is where the root or the seed is planted, and if you catch it in the middle, that means you're missing something. Hallelujah. So go back to the beginning. Amen, so you're not missing a thing, you are catching it all. Hallelujah, and learning to live in truth.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Just recently became a part of God's Diamonds in the Rough podcast. Yeah. So if you haven't checked out the podcast Diamonds in the Rough, that would be an awesome thing to do too. Go all the way back to the beginning. We started this I believe it was three right in 2021, I believe. So we going into our third year, I think, and so you got episode after episode after episode. I said season five. Yes, you got four more seasons that. You got interviews. You got just Michael and I. I talking through different subjects and topics. Yeah, so you know, I just encourage you to follow the spirit and go back. Yeah, go back and hear what you've missed, amen, because the Lord does things in decent and in order. He always builds up to an appointed place and time. So, always excited that you are here, glad to be here with you, amen. All right, so let's go ahead and get into the word.

Speaker 1: 5:09

Look at verse 11. He says for this is a message that he heard from the beginning, that ye heard from the beginning. He says that we should love one another, love one another. You can go back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. This is truly the definition of love, what it is and what it is not. 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. Amen, this describes what love is and what it is not. It particularly describes what it is in verses 4 through 7.

Speaker 1: 5:48

If you go through the list of episodes that we've had in the past, you'll find clear talks Michael and I have had about and this was on God's diamonds in the rough about really what the identity of love is. Amen. So definitely go back and look for it. But he says here the message that we heard from the beginning is that we ought to love one another, amen. He says not as Cain. He says, who was of that wicked one and slew his brother. He says and wherefore slew he him? Because his words or his works were evil and his brothers righteous. He says marvel, not my brethren. If the world hate you, okay. He says, don't trip out. He says because they don't like you. They don't want to be around you, they don't want you in their clique. They don't want to hear what you got to say. John, lets us know this ain't. This is just how it is. Amen. Hallelujah, this is just how it is.

Speaker 1: 7:00

When you love people, you got people who's going to? Or when you love and do it the way God say do it, you're going to have a whole lot of haters. Hallelujah. You have a whole lot of people that have something against you and they can't even tell you what it is. You ever had somebody say well, I don't like them. I don't know why, I just don't like them. That's what I'm talking about. They're going to hate you because you love him.

Speaker 1: 7:25

Jesus, come on somebody. That is a word, right, amen. They will hate you because you love him. Amen, see, look. He says and we're going to get to it here eventually If you love me, then you're going to obey me and people will get mad at you because you're obedient to the spirit, because you don't mind them. You won't listen to them, but you'll listen to the spirit. The world would say you listen to somebody you can't even see and you won't listen to me. The devil is a liar, but that's the truth of the matter. They will hate you because you love him. Come on somebody. He says we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that love, if not his brother, abideth in death, amen.

Speaker 1: 8:16

Look. It is a great thing when you can love beyond what you see. Come on somebody. You can love beyond what you hear, hallelujah, amen. When you can love somebody and be there for somebody who you know hates you, who you know to talk behind your back, who you know is not for you and you are there for them. Anyhow, when they are thirsty, you give them something to for them. Anyhow, when they are thirsty, you give them something to drink. When they are hungry, you give some. Give them something to eat, amen. Look, the bible says you heap coals on their head when you get, when you serve goodness out of hatefulness, amen. When they're hateful to you, when they are being rude and ugly to you, and you still are kind to them, you still um, respect them, you don't disrespect them, you still, anyhow, you go for and you love on them anyhow. It is powerful, hallelujah. Look, let me recall real quick. Look, let me recall real quick, my husband. He watches Patrol Live, our own Patrol Live, and we was watching.

Speaker 1: 9:23

It was a segment on there where the man you could tell the way that he talked to the police officers, that he was a racist bigot, yeah, and was calling him boy and everything and cuss him out, telling him to kiss his tail, but he won't use the tail word, do this, that and what you going to do, take these cuss-offs and kept referring to him boy, boy, boy and y'all this and y'all that. It was a powerful thing. But I'm going to tell you what that police officer did. He treated that man with respect, he treated him with kindness. Anyhow, I'm telling you, the police had the advantage. They had the advantage over that man. That man was sitting on the ground with his handcuffs behind his back, talking cash smack. You heard me Talking to the men as if they weren't men, as if he was above them, where they stood above him. Come on somebody. He talked like he was above, on top, and he was actually the one on the ground. Jesus, come, that is a word all by itself. You better talk about it. The men, the police officers, they could have did anything that they wanted to do to him, but again, they treated him with kindness, they treated him with respect.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Now, the one that the man was talking down to, he was the black man and he was the sergeant of the group that was there dealing with this rude and obnoxious man. He was the sergeant, the one black man. He was the sergeant, the one black man, he was the sergeant, so he was the one in control of everything. After they got him in the car, long story short, after they got him in the car, he shook hands with every officer that was with him. He said good job, you didn't stoop to their level.

Speaker 1: 11:18

Powerful, you hear me? It is a beautiful thing and it shows who you are really serving when you don't stoop to their level. Jesus, come on somebody. I wish I was in front of y'all, but you heard me. Amen. It's a powerful thing when you don't stoop to the level of others, because there will be people that will literally, with their words, spit in your face. And when you wipe those words, or wipe that spit off of your face and you continue to treat them the way you want to be treated, it does nothing, but it makes it really. At the end of the day, it shames them and once they get to get their self together, they look at you like wow, I said and I did everything I could to tear them down, but they still stand.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Jesus, jesus, y'all talk to me. Hallelujah, amen. You stand anyhow Because, at the end of the day, what Jesus is doing in you is he's building a level of integrity, he's building your strength when it comes down to dealing with the works of the devil. He says to us he that loveth not his brother abideth in death. If you don't love in spite of, he says, you are headed into the grips. On matter of fact, you are already in the grips of death. Death is equivalent to hell. You heard me. So I challenge you to think twice about how you treat the next woman, the next man that you encounter, whether they be kind or whether they be ugly. I dare you to be conscious of how you treat them and how you respond to them. Come on somebody.

Speaker 1: 13:25

Jesus, he says, verse 15, whosoever hated his brother is a murderer. He says, and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in them. This is what he says about those who hate their brother. He says you, just as just, you're an equal to a murderer, somebody who takes life. Let's look at the identity of a murderer. A murderer takes life. Not only do they take life, they take purpose, because once they die, they can't fulfill their purpose. Hallelujah, amen. Unless you're George Foreman, come on somebody. I truly believe that his purpose was to die To bring enlightenment about some wrong Amen, about some injustice. Come on somebody. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Speaker 1: 14:20

I can remember vividly I was working at JCrew at the time when I when that, when that happened and they said we're gonna take a moment of silence for the amount of time that that knee was on the neck of George Foreman, from the, from them the moments, the last moments of his life, and that time it seemed like it was an eternity. And it says I said to myself how does somebody put their neck, their knee, on the neck of somebody and expect them to live for that long? It was just like, oh my God, where is the heart when you can feel like you're in such an authority where you can put your knee down on somebody's neck, not even conscious of the fact that they have to breathe in order to live? Jesus, oh my God, I want y'all to think about that now.

Speaker 1: 15:20

How many times have you put your knee on the neck of somebody that you say is harming you, but yet you're killing them? Come on, how many times have you done that? Where you have? You have just been at somebody and you just continue to be at them over and over and again, but you expect them to live after you get done fulfilling what is going on inside of you. You got some level of authority that you have abused and taking it to your advantage, while yet it's killing somebody else.

Speaker 1: 16:02

Jesus, jesus, come on, somebody. I'm talking to myself, amen. I'm talking to you, but God is also talking to me, because it's real easy for us to walk in our authority but forgetting about somebody else's life. My, my, my, oh Lord, have mercy, something to think about, right? I think I'm going to wrap up right there.

Speaker 1: 16:33

So, father, we thank you so much for your grace and your mercy. Thank you, god, for speaking into us some truth, speaking to us in such a way that we couldn't miss it. I pray, god, that you'll continue to have your way, continue to move, continue to shape us into the men and women of God you desire us to be. I pray that we can be a help to one another. I pray that we will love the way you want us to, that we can love without condition our brothers and sisters in Christ. Hallelujah, god. We thank you. Thank you, god. We love you so much, so very grateful, so thankful. In Jesus Christ's name, we do pray Amenelujah. So much love, so many prayers from me to you hope you'll come back on tomorrow as we continue on journeying through first john, chapter 3, picking up at verse 16. Hallelujah, hallelujah.