1 John 4:7-21
English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Love is an subject interesting everyone. Some people might pretend to be more interested in the ice tea, or the ice cubes swirling in their glass, than appear to be interested in love. Yet love captivates.
Lately Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged was made outside of Hollywood because it is too interested in laissez faire for the left agenda of Hollywood. The party on the left has become the party on the right. I was a business major at Texas A&M and read several of Ayn Rand's books as required reading, at least twice in separate classes. I always was reminded of Taylor Caldwell's Captains and Kings and Testimony of Two Men. Ayn Rand's heroes are schemed against by angry, jealous, powerful people in tortuous, inescapable plots and it is the same for Taylor Caldwell's characters.
Ayn Rand successfully captured the attention of readers, gaining in popularity for 20 years and having a second resurgence, lately. Taylor Caldwell has great little vignettes where the Senator doesn't merely do dastardly deeds and is generally condemned by Ayn Rand's characters for being "a miserable child." Taylor Calwell's Senator will be explained to be generally loved by all, a hero to his constituents; who secretly nagged, bullied and verbally abused his family into 'decline', suicide, alcoholism and destruction while riding a wave of public sympathy for having 'every man' type troubles.
I went to see the beautifully done movie, I finally get to say, 25 years later, - okay Ayn Rand is interesting, but no - she is not an incentive for me to jump on the band wagon of "greed is good." Her characters are dynamic, bold, glamorous, inventive and privileged, self-centered and shallow.
Why has Any Rand hung on while Taylor Caldwell has waned? Taylor Calwell's stories capture much more interesting detail, but Taylor Caldwell philosophy says man's nature does not change.
"There can be help. There's always God," said Amy. "I'm ashamed. I'd forgotten about Him.” She was quiet for a time. When she lifted her head she looked older and resolute. “Don’t blame yourself too much, Cousin Caroline,” she said. “That’s as bad as taking no blame at all. I’m not going to blame everything on Ames; I was a little fool myself. I was old enough to know that things aren’t simple.” - A Prologue to Love
Ayn Rand explains her philosophy:
"You have heard no concepts of morality but the mystical or the social. ... For centuries, the battle of morality was fought between those who claimed that your life belongs to God and those who claimed that it belongs to your neighbors–between those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of ghosts in heaven and those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of incompetents on earth. And no one came to say that your life belongs to you and that the good is to live it. John Galt - Atlas Shrugged
Well.... so Ayn Rand's protagonist is to claim this life is mine and I will live it for myself - isn't that what her villains are already doing? And doing it to the hero. Novels are just philosophy written to be interesting. People are so willing to listen. Did they listen to the end of Niccolo Machiavelli and Friedrich Nietzsche - where their ideas led them?
So what does Jesus' beloved disciple, Ayn Rand and Taylor Caldwell have to do with the reading?
Life is about who you love.
With all these ideas on really how to have a good life - How will we reach a higher level of contentment in this earthly life? I have a good example for you.
My grandmother's next door neighbor had a good married life. Virgina was married to the Ole Miss Football Coach for many years. One day, fairly young, her husband died of a heart attack. She wasn't left with a great deal of money. She'd raised her children and they'd moved away to get good jobs.
Virginia looked every day for a way to help people. When we visited my grandmother, she'd bring us homemade fudge, we'd sit, visit and eat her homemade treat. My grandmother had a headache and Virginia took us to see the fireworks. Virginia - when she was 70 - spent a lot of time driving people from her Church, "the elderly" to Church or to the doctor. She played the piano for 30 years at her Presbyterian Church. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels. I wrote to Virginia after my grandmother had passed on, for about a decade, and told her she always made our visits more fun. Virginia wrote me back and sent newspaper clippings of a parade in Oxford, Mississippi. They had a parade, made Virginia the MC and dedicated the parade to her. Why? She had worked for so many decades, just being helpful to people. Virginia said she'd been tickled to ride on the float in her honor, but really she'd had a good life and a good life was it's own reward.
whoever loves God must also love his brother
The Scriptures don't promise a good life from loving our brother. Virginia found it to be so. I know Virgina faced loneliness when she was a widow. She felt abandoned at times. She wasn't part of the affluent society who loved them when she was part of a football loving community. She didn't have a fancy car. To be frank, all her enthusiasm intimidated my grandmother and as next door neighbors for 40 years, sometimes they gently sniped at each other. Once we were discussing my grandmother's total bereavement after her second husband had passed on and Virginia made such an interesting comment. She said my grandmother's affluent childhood had been so idyllic, it had spoiled the bumps and bruises of adult life for her. Interesting that affluence and ease doesn't necessarily equate to pervasive happiness. Virginia was persistently good to my grandmother; she just never got over loving other people.
Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all
Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
<><
Lately Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged was made outside of Hollywood because it is too interested in laissez faire for the left agenda of Hollywood. The party on the left has become the party on the right. I was a business major at Texas A&M and read several of Ayn Rand's books as required reading, at least twice in separate classes. I always was reminded of Taylor Caldwell's Captains and Kings and Testimony of Two Men. Ayn Rand's heroes are schemed against by angry, jealous, powerful people in tortuous, inescapable plots and it is the same for Taylor Caldwell's characters.
Ayn Rand successfully captured the attention of readers, gaining in popularity for 20 years and having a second resurgence, lately. Taylor Caldwell has great little vignettes where the Senator doesn't merely do dastardly deeds and is generally condemned by Ayn Rand's characters for being "a miserable child." Taylor Calwell's Senator will be explained to be generally loved by all, a hero to his constituents; who secretly nagged, bullied and verbally abused his family into 'decline', suicide, alcoholism and destruction while riding a wave of public sympathy for having 'every man' type troubles.
I went to see the beautifully done movie, I finally get to say, 25 years later, - okay Ayn Rand is interesting, but no - she is not an incentive for me to jump on the band wagon of "greed is good." Her characters are dynamic, bold, glamorous, inventive and privileged, self-centered and shallow.
Why has Any Rand hung on while Taylor Caldwell has waned? Taylor Calwell's stories capture much more interesting detail, but Taylor Caldwell philosophy says man's nature does not change.
"There can be help. There's always God," said Amy. "I'm ashamed. I'd forgotten about Him.” She was quiet for a time. When she lifted her head she looked older and resolute. “Don’t blame yourself too much, Cousin Caroline,” she said. “That’s as bad as taking no blame at all. I’m not going to blame everything on Ames; I was a little fool myself. I was old enough to know that things aren’t simple.” - A Prologue to Love
Ayn Rand explains her philosophy:
"You have heard no concepts of morality but the mystical or the social. ... For centuries, the battle of morality was fought between those who claimed that your life belongs to God and those who claimed that it belongs to your neighbors–between those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of ghosts in heaven and those who preached that the good is self-sacrifice for the sake of incompetents on earth. And no one came to say that your life belongs to you and that the good is to live it. John Galt - Atlas Shrugged
Well.... so Ayn Rand's protagonist is to claim this life is mine and I will live it for myself - isn't that what her villains are already doing? And doing it to the hero. Novels are just philosophy written to be interesting. People are so willing to listen. Did they listen to the end of Niccolo Machiavelli and Friedrich Nietzsche - where their ideas led them?
So what does Jesus' beloved disciple, Ayn Rand and Taylor Caldwell have to do with the reading?
Life is about who you love.
With all these ideas on really how to have a good life - How will we reach a higher level of contentment in this earthly life? I have a good example for you.
My grandmother's next door neighbor had a good married life. Virgina was married to the Ole Miss Football Coach for many years. One day, fairly young, her husband died of a heart attack. She wasn't left with a great deal of money. She'd raised her children and they'd moved away to get good jobs.
Virginia looked every day for a way to help people. When we visited my grandmother, she'd bring us homemade fudge, we'd sit, visit and eat her homemade treat. My grandmother had a headache and Virginia took us to see the fireworks. Virginia - when she was 70 - spent a lot of time driving people from her Church, "the elderly" to Church or to the doctor. She played the piano for 30 years at her Presbyterian Church. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels. I wrote to Virginia after my grandmother had passed on, for about a decade, and told her she always made our visits more fun. Virginia wrote me back and sent newspaper clippings of a parade in Oxford, Mississippi. They had a parade, made Virginia the MC and dedicated the parade to her. Why? She had worked for so many decades, just being helpful to people. Virginia said she'd been tickled to ride on the float in her honor, but really she'd had a good life and a good life was it's own reward.
whoever loves God must also love his brother
The Scriptures don't promise a good life from loving our brother. Virginia found it to be so. I know Virgina faced loneliness when she was a widow. She felt abandoned at times. She wasn't part of the affluent society who loved them when she was part of a football loving community. She didn't have a fancy car. To be frank, all her enthusiasm intimidated my grandmother and as next door neighbors for 40 years, sometimes they gently sniped at each other. Once we were discussing my grandmother's total bereavement after her second husband had passed on and Virginia made such an interesting comment. She said my grandmother's affluent childhood had been so idyllic, it had spoiled the bumps and bruises of adult life for her. Interesting that affluence and ease doesn't necessarily equate to pervasive happiness. Virginia was persistently good to my grandmother; she just never got over loving other people.
Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all
Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
<><
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