Category: Loving People

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-1-24

Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV) 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

A lawyer asked Jesus a question that he believed would be difficult for Him to answer.

He was hoping to get Jesus to stumble, so the religious leaders could prove He was a false teacher.

But Jesus never blinked, answering his question effortlessly and with precision.

What Jesus told him is something we should all pay close attention to.

Why?

Because of those last few words that Jesus spoke; On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

You see, what He said goes way beyond the Mosaic Law. It is the foundation of everything in God’s word.

First, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”.

Put God first in everything. Simple and straight forward.

Second, “love your neighbor as yourself”.

The first is obvious. Putting God above all else should be easy for any of us to recognize as our most important priority.

The second one, though, may seem a bit more complicated once we understand the depth of it.

Loving our neighbor as ourselves sounds very easy and straight forward, right?

And it is, in principle. But the real-life application of that principle can confound the kindest of people when the rubber meets the road.

Loving others is one of the most difficult things we can be told we need to do.

Think about the person who cuts you off in traffic and causes you to nearly lose control of your vehicle.

Picture the person who purposely insults you or someone you love.

Think about the child who physically beat you up for no reason when you were a kid in school, making a mockery of you in front of all your schoolmates.

Consider the one who bullies your child.

Or ponder the situation when your elderly parent was assaulted and robbed by a wayward teenager.

Do any of those things make your blood boil, or cause you to bristle up just thinking about them?

That is exactly what I was referring to when I stated that loving others is the most difficult thing we will ever be told we need to do.

It is easy to love those who love us. But loving those who do us wrong is exponentially more difficult.

Yet, Jesus told us that this is second only to loving God.

Food for thought as we go through our day today.

Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV) 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 2-18-24 – A Difficult Commandment

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings in the wonderful name of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

Jesus was asked by some religious leaders what the most important commandment was. 

Instead of giving them one commandment, He gave them two. 

In today’s new video, A Difficult Commandment, we teach about one of those two commandments, and why it might be considered by some to be the most difficult of them all. 

We hope this new video will shed some light on how God wants us to walk out this most difficult commandment. 

Please click here to watch the video now.

We love you all! 

Sincerely, 

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie 

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443  

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 7-29-21

Matthew 5:43-44 (NKJV) 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…

How do we this? This has got to be one of the hardest things to do.

Love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us and PRAY for those who spitefully use and persecute us. Wow!

As I was reading this morning, and I saw this verse, I was like, “God, help us. We can’t do this without You. Because I know who I am and what my flesh is like.

I usually just run away from people who treat me badly.

I know how I am. And if someone does me wrong, well they’d better look for another friend, because I don’t go for it.

I just don’t like to be around people like this.

And one more thing; these types of people pull the worst out of me. So, I try to stay away; far away”.

In the scripture above, we are given clear-cut directions on how to love like God.

This does not come natural to us; it is not a normal fleshly behavior. As a matter of fact, our flesh would like it better if we could hate our enemy. Now that would be easy to do, right?!

The point here is that we need to learn to love like God. After all, we are His children and we need to emulate His ways.

We need to be like Papa in every way. And this will take a lot of letting Him mature us in the things we should do.

If we can learn to walk in this kind of love, what does the Word of God say about it?

Matthew 5:48 (NKJV) 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

This does not mean that we will be perfect and never sin. The perfect that the scripture is speaking of here is the way we should love others; the same way He loves us.

Even in very hard and difficult situations, even in their sin, this kind of loving others is God’s perfect love.

You see, it takes discipline to walk in this. It takes obedience to tame that fleshly desire that otherwise wants to lash out, call them names or argue our point.

It takes absolute Holy Spirit-led control over our emotions and attitude. It takes a huge change of heart.

That, my friend, will only happen if we submit our fleshly, hard heart to Him and let Him change it; let Him give us a new heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-10-21

1 John 4:8-9 (NKJV) 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

He loves us all. As the song says, red, yellow, black and white.

We are all sinners, but yet He sent His Son to save us. We are precious in His sight.

If we cannot love, then we don’t truly know God. Because He is love, we too will love. Even in times when the average person cannot love, His Spirit in us will show love in such a way that it will blow people’s minds.

Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in the day where we need to show love like never before. But not a cuddling type of love. Rather a “stand for what is right” kind of love.

We need to be strong, and not back down from truth. And taking it one step further, we need to be sure we’re walking out what we preach.

Come on, church people! We must show the world who God is, and we can do this by loving through our actions. If we cannot love, we do not know God.

1 John 3:18 (NKJV) 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Be the one today to show God’s love through doing something outside the everyday norm.

God gave us His best. Let us give our best effort in showing it.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-12-21

Galatians 5:14 (NKJV) 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love your neighbor.

Jesus said this was second only to loving God.

Loving God is easy. Loving others, though? Now that can be a challenge for all of us at times.

People can test us in every way possible. And when certain types of people start pushing our buttons, we have to rely heavily on the Holy Spirit to keep us loving them and not wanting to lash out at them and spew hatred.

The times in which we are living are especially difficult. The enemy is trying his best to divide and conquer. Nothing is “normal” anymore.

Some days it looks like he is winning, I will admit. But I know that God is on the throne and He is still in control of it all.

There are some things that just need to play out, and they can be painful to watch sometimes.

But our call is to keep loving people and letting God guide our every step. And that is exactly what I intend to do, even when it’s difficult to carry out.

No, none of us will ever hit it perfectly all the time. And sometimes we may miss it badly.

But if our spirit is willing, and our heart longs to please God, we will keep pushing forward and doing what we know is right overall.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 6-11-19

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This is one of the most challenging verses that will impact us throughout our entire life as a believer.

Loving someone when all is good is not a problem at all. We can all do that! But when things aren’t so good, it is impossible at times to hold back those feelings, emotions and our tongue. We can’t do this on our own.

We can’t love like this without the Holy Spirit. We need His help to help us restrain ourselves and walk in such a love as this.

Isaiah 63:11 (NKJV) 11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: “Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them…

God put the Holy Spirit within Moses and his people, and they came through many obstacles victoriously! If they needed Him in the days of old, what makes us think that we don’t need Him today?

The Holy Spirit will guide us and give us the discipline we need to push down the feelings that will cause us to do more harm than good. He will give us wisdom to say the right thing at the right time. And He will give us understanding to know all that we need to know about any situation.

The thing is, if we want to truly love each other the way God loves us, we need to let Him train us through the leading of His Spirit, one situation at a time, over the course of our lives. It doesn’t just happen overnight. But over time, we build on this love.

This is our witness to all, by walking in such a love that God Himself is with us, with the hope that they too will believe in Him and receive Him as their Savior.

John 14:26 (NKJV) 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 3-5-19

Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV) 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Dear God, help us to love You in such a way, with everything in us. And once we have learned that, help us to do the next thing and love our neighbor as our self. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen

To love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and then love our neighbor as our self, can we all agree that change has to happen? His Spirit has to be alive in us. And we have to be disciplined to say no to our fleshly desires.

The flesh can be very strong-willed, even in a believer. It has its way of wanting to do what it wants.

If we are tired and unhealthy, we are not up for the battle. We will be more apt to give into it, even when we know it’s wrong.

The flesh will begin to change when we stay close to God, through prayer and reading His word. It will also help if we are well-rested and keeping ourselves physically healthy. These few things will all contribute to being alert and strong in our spirit man.

If we can be consistent in these things, it will make a huge difference in keeping our hearts close and in love with God.

When our heart changes, our mind and soul will follow suit and we will walk in this love on a regular basis.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-16-18

Ephesians 5:1-2  (NKJV) 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Walking in love is an important part of our life as a child of God. What does it mean to walk in love?

Sometimes it means that we give up our wants for someone else’s needs.

We may find ourselves putting our self aside just to reach out and help someone else.

If you have never experienced this, it is the most wonderful feeling you can have. This feeling does not come with material possessions. It only comes through sincere love and sacrifice.

Pray that the Father will use us today in some way to love on someone. He will guide us.

Be ready to give. Sometimes it is of our time or our labor. Sometimes it is of our finances. Sometimes it may be a hug or a smile. Sometimes it is a heart to heart talk, a cooked meal or a bouquet of flowers.

Maybe it is as simple as a card, text message or phone call.

Sometimes walking in love might mean Him telling us to hold our tongue. This may be the hardest thing He asks us to do, especially if we feel what we have to say is right.

Whatever He lays on our hearts, just step out in love and give it our all. Be aware of His promptings and just follow along as He leads.

A lot of times it is not planned. It is spontaneous. It just happens, and we will find ourselves saying, “Wow, that was worth it all”, after it is all said and done.

God is a God of loving on people and He will use us if we are willing to get the job done.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 7-30-18

Ephesians 5:2 (NKJV) 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Walk in love. How well do we do this?

Love is more than an emotion. It’s an action. It’s a way of life.

Jesus was the epitome of love. His life showed love in everything He said and did. Even when correcting those whose lives were steeped in sin, He did so lovingly. He didn’t use harsh words or stinging rebukes. He saved those for the religious leaders who claimed to love, yet operated in divisiveness and hypocrisy.

When Jesus encountered people in dire situations, He showed them love like they had never seen before. And He wants us to do the same.

Can we honestly say that we do this? Do we love those around us, even when they are unlovable? Do we empathize with people, or do we lash out at them?

Lashing out at people and treating them with anger is easy. It takes no effort. But loving people takes deliberate effort and humility to tame our tongue and see them through the eyes of God, tempered by the Holy Spirit.

Loving others as Christ loved us is a sacrifice to God. It shows Him that we are willing to set ourselves aside and serve others, just as Jesus did.

Mark 10:45 (NKJV) 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-14-18

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Showing people that we care is probably one of the most effective ways that they will see Christ in us.

But, caring can be one of the hardest things to do. Why? Because sometimes our emotions truly don’t care.

Ouch! I know this one can hurt, but if we are going to grow, we are going to have to hear the truth and feel it as well.

How can we care for someone when we feel that what they are doing is wrong or “off”? This is a good question.

The only way this can happen is that when we see something wrong we decide in our hearts we are going to try to understand why it’s like that.

We are going to have to press in and let God teach us. So, in return, we will care more through learning more about it.

In other words, we need to dig a little deeper instead of just giving up on them. Getting a better understanding as to why things are the way they are will help us care more.

How do we do this? Take the first step. Go to God and ask Him to show us what we may be missing. Let Him show us how can we be more understanding and caring in this situation.

Sometimes we are missing the most important thing and all we need is a little more understanding regarding it.

Second, we take what God has shown us and we listen and make the necessary adjustments within ourselves. This gives us what we need to be able to show them that, although we may not agree with what they do, we truly do care for them.

Third, we need to remember that people are responsible for their own choices and their own actions. No matter how much we try and stop them from doing what we don’t agree with, they are responsible for their actions. Not us. We can’t let it ruin our relationship with them if they continue to pursue it.

Our responsibility as a child of God is to love one another and to show them we care.

If we want to help people and show them that we care, we need to understand them better. We need to listen to them, seek God and ask Him to help us to care more, love more and not just run away if we don’t agree with something they may be doing, or the way they may be living.

Caring is loving. And loving is putting our opinions and ourselves aside to listen and to reach out and help others at whatever stage they are at in their life.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

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Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 10-25-17

Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV) 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

I know what you’re thinking; how in this world do we love our enemies?

This is a big thing and most times we just skim over it, because deep down we all know it’s impossible for man to love his enemy.

So let’s take a look at what an enemy is. An enemy is someone that is antagonistic to another; one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent.

You mean to tell me I have to love those who want to antagonize me, injure me or overthrow me, and that’s only one part of this verse?

How do we do this with the right heart and not just go through the motions? How do we keep our heart from not wanting to do the same things back to them that they’ve done to us?

We are human, with feelings, and those feelings sometimes scream really loud to do the opposite of what these verses are saying. How do we win over what our own feelings, mind, heart and our attitude are saying? It’s so hard, and seems impossible.

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The first thing we need to do is get out of our heads. We can’t do this with intellect. We have to get into the Word of God. God’s word has a way of softening the hardest of hearts.

When hurtful things come our way, it can cause our heart to get hard quickly and our minds start to race. There is no room for God when our heart has been hardened and we are operating solely on intellect.

The second thing to do is to try to avoid spending a lot of time with negative people.

We should surround ourselves with people who can find the good things even in hard times. That doesn’t mean finding people who don’t face reality. But people that see things for what they are and choose to give it to God. They spend more time praying, listening and worshiping Him than they do trying to be in control of the situation.

Third, we shouldn’t speak whatever we feel like speaking or saying in that moment of anger, persecution or when we’re being accused. Learn to hold the tongue and wait on God to bring understanding so that when we do speak, if needed, it is well worth saying and good seeds are planted.

Without God it is impossible to live out these verses. But, with Him, we can learn to walk in them and live them out daily. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

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Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

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