Loving, The Key to Happiness and Blessings.

This book, “LOVING, THE KEY TO HAPPINESS AND BLESSINGS,“ is really three books in one. Each one can individually bring happiness and blessings into the life of the reader.

The first book is contained in chapters one and two. Chapter one tells us who we are commanded to love if we are to be obedient Christians. Chapter two tells us how we can prepare ourselves to do what God wants us to in chapter one. Because of what God and Jesus did in loving the whole world, it teaches how we can become one of God’s children, be assured of an eternity in heaven, and have the Holy Spirit to help us with a loving living lifestyle. Nothing will give us more happiness and blessings than that. If we believe we really are His children already, it is about the happiness and blessings that come from passing the test from Scripture that shows we really are His children, and not just “really good” or religious people. If we are not one of God’s children and we fail the test, it tells us how to become one.

The second book, chapters three through seven, is about how we will obtain happiness and blessings by following what the Bible teaches us with respect to how we can love God, our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and everyone including, yes, even our enemies.

The third book, chapter eight, tells how we obtain happiness and blessings as we equip ourselves for loving living through Bible study and prayer. It teaches us the importance of each one separately and how to tie the two together with a daily quiet time with God.

Needless to say, the three books go together to help the reader obtain the greatest happiness and blessings.

While both Christians and non-Christians can obtain happiness and blessings from the loving actions described in the Bible, obviously the most happiness and blessings belong to “true Christians” that want to improve their loving relationship with God and to be obedient to God’s commands on how to love others.

I parenthesized true Christians as Jesus has said that many people that call themselves Christians, or children of God, or born-again, redeemed, justified, true believers, and all on their way to heaven, may not be what they think they are.

The following is a quote from the book:

In the November 2007 issue of Daily Bread, the devotion for the 18th started this way:

An old spiritual warns, ‘Everybody talkin’ bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.’ Heaven is God’s dwelling place where His presence and glory are manifested in all their splendor and where He will enjoy His children for eternity. He has the sovereign right to determine who will be admitted and under what conditions. He has made them clear in the Bible, and Jesus confirmed them when He was here on earth. Any other beliefs about the requirements for admission into heaven are sadly mistaken.

“The previous quote from Daily Bread, “Everybody talkin’ bout heaven ain’t goin’ there,” could be a paraphrase of what Jesus said in the following Bible verse.

“NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BUT ONLY HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. MANY WILL SAY TO ME ON THAT DAY, ‘LORD, LORD! DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND IN YOUR NAME DRIVE OUT DEMONS AND PERFORM MANY MIRACLES?’ THEN I WILL TELL THEM PLAINLY, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU. AWAY FROM ME, YOU EVILDOERS!’” - (MATTHEW 7:21)

Notice that these people called Jesus, ‘Lord.’ It is the word used by Christians who say that Jesus is not only their savior, but the one who is master over their lives. These people obviously considered themselves Christians if they were calling Jesus, ‘Lord.’

Next, look at the things that these people were able to do that must have confirmed in their minds that they surely were given powers by God, reserved only for those He favored.

Prophesying has two meanings. One is “forth-telling,” which is proclaiming the gospel. The other is “foretelling,” which is telling the future. So, there will be people who preach sermons or tell the future in Christ’s name, cast demons out of people in Christ’s name, and perform miracles in Christ’s name that will not get into heaven.

Surely we thought that anyone doing any of those things in Jesus’ name was surely a child of God on his way to heaven. So, never rely on what we do in God’s name that seems to have God’s approval or His power on it as a certainty that we are one of His children and on our way to heaven.

In addition to Matthew 7:21, three parables that Christ gave say the same thing about people who may think they are on their way to heaven but aren’t. It is that some people look like, talk like, and act like they are saved, born again, children of God, but aren’t. Jesus illustrates what these children of the devil are like in the parables of “The Broad and Narrow Road,” “The Wheat and the Tares,” and “The Seed Sower.”’

End of quote.

The remainder of Chapter 2 tells everything we need to know to determine if we are truly children of God or children of the devil. If we find out we are not children of God, it tells everything we must believe about who Jesus was and what He and other Bible verses teach about the prerequisites and requirements to become a child of God.

It tells about how God, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the body of God’s children to help them with everything they need to know and do to love God and others. The Holy Spirit will also teach us and help us to be obedient to the commandments and instructions in the remaining chapters of the book to bring us both happiness and blessings from God.