By Terrell Perkins

There are those who claim they know “the secret key” to understanding the scriptures. There is indeed a key that unlocks the scriptures and in some respects it is a secret... at least to some people. Do you want to know the key to understanding the scriptures? It’s love. Every page, every paragraph, every word, every punctuation flows with Gods love for His children.  That the scriptures exist is proof of God’s love. He created us out of love. He gave us His law out of love for us. He allowed His only begotten son to become one of us, to suffer pain, humiliation and death at the hands of human beings out of His love for mankind.

The problem arises when we misunderstand what love is and what it is not. Love is NOT just what we feel... love is what we DO. Scriptures tell us the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Most of the fruits of the spirit are qualities about dealing with someone else.

Bliss is most commonly confused with love because bliss feels good. Bliss isn't bad as long as it is not mistaken for spiritual growth. We can experience bliss while looking at a beautiful sunset or experiencing a “perfect moment.” Just like there are counterfeit gospels, there are also counterfeits for love. Bliss can also be a counterfeit for love. In Eastern and New Age religions bliss is often mistaken for love. Bliss can be a counterfeit love for “spiritual” people. Bliss is what those who are “spiritual but not religious” most often feel.

To show real love, there must be another. And the other is always imperfect. That’s what makes love so special. Love is getting into the trenches and getting dirty. We don't love just the perfect... we love the imperfect. Bliss doesn’t feed the hungry, visit the lonely, comfort the sick or give a coat to someone who’s cold... love does these things.

Love may be said to be like a pearl. Do you know how pearls are formed? You put something 
irritating in an oyster, like a grain of sand, and a pearl is its response. Love covers imperfections like a pearl covers a grain of sand.

Bliss is what we feel. Love is what we DO.

Bliss is about ourselves. Love is always about another.

Bliss is content to remain alone. Love always reaches out.

Bliss is not doing. Love is DOING.

Bliss can be completely self-absorbed. Love is NEVER self-absorbed.

Bliss is static. Love is dynamic.

Bliss can be like a stagnant pond... Love is like a river of living water. Love always grows, always moves.

Christ didn’t condemn a fig tree to die because he didn't like trees... it is a lesson for us. We MUST bear fruit! The fruits of the spirit are all about dealing with other imperfect people.
God’s Word defines what spiritual growth is the way DNA defines what physical growth is. True spiritual growth is always guided by the template of love like physical growth is guided by DNA.

Don’t be deceived. We don't grow by watching a sunset... we grow by reaching out of ourselves to others. We first have to learn to love ourselves then we have to learn to extend, to grow, our sense of  ourselves. That’s what love is... extending our sense of ourselves to include others. Hurt doesn't stop it, misunderstanding doesn't stop it, disappointment doesn’t stop it, pain doesn't stop it... Love keeps coming like a pounding wave that eventually turns a mountain into sand. Love is what will transform the universe and us if we let it.

The Bible makes it clear that the calling of Christians is to eventually become “kings and priests” in the Kingdom of God (Revelation 1:6 KJV, alternately in some other translations: “a kingdom and priests”).  In ancient Israel both kings and priests (Exodus 28: 36) wore crowns, and the New Testament discusses the crowns it says will be given to believers in more specific terms than we might often realize.  

The Christian scriptures use two different terms for the word “crown” – stephanos  which refers to a crown of leaves or flowers and which was given for great accomplishments such as athletic and military victories, and  diadema which was primarily used of the crown of royalty.  When speaking of the crowns to be given to believers, the New Testament scriptures always speak of the first kind – the stephanos – which was given as a reward for accomplishments rather than the royal crown handed down merely by descent. They also speak of different types of the stephanos crown of accomplishment in discussing the reward of the faithful. 

Some of the references to crowns simply speak of conditions pertaining to them. For example, Paul tells us that the crown of leaves sought by athletic exertion: “…will not last, but we … get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25). This does not seem to be listing an “imperishable” type crown, it is just a statement that our crown is imperishable. There are, however, three different types of crown mentioned in the New Testament which seem to be linked to different rewards. In all three cases, each type of crown is said to be a reward for a particular accomplishment and a related spiritual trait:

1. The Crown of Righteousness (associated with obedient faith): 2 Timothy 4:8-9 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me ...” Here Paul associates this crown with faithful accomplishment. 

2. The Crown of Life (associated with persistent hope): James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Revelation 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer…. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

3. The Crown of Glory (associated with serving love): 1 Peter 5:1-4  “…Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them –not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve … And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”  

Whether these crowns are meant to be understood literally or metaphorically (see, for example, 1 Thessalonians 2:19) is beside the point. What is important and of great encouragement to every Christian is to see that the very things the believer must struggle to master in this life – obedient faith, persistent hope, serving love – are the very rewards that we are promised. It is as if the crowns are the perfect future manifestation of the things for which we now strive. But we need not be concerned as to what the exact reality of the promised crowns of scripture may be.  The lesson of the verses that speak of the three crowns  clearly relates to their value and how we need to continue to the point they are given to us. It is a message clearly summarized by the apostle John: “… Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11B).

Malachi is a fascinating book.  It is unclear exactly when it was written, and even whether Malachi is the name of the author or simply a title (malachi means “my messenger” in Hebrew, and the word is not found as a name anywhere else in the Bible), but the “message” of  Malachi is clear.

The last book in the Old Testament,  Malachi deals with the theme of God’s judgment on the unfaithful and backsliding post-exilic Jewish community, and His eventual judgment of all peoples.  But there is an underlying aspect to this theme which is seldom mentioned in commentaries on this book.  Malachi presents his message in the form of a legal trial. The charges are dire - but the outcome is amazingly good.  It's an ancient message we need today!  See the article just uploaded: "Malachi: A Story of Love and Legal Proceedings."

Unlike Jesus’ first miracle when he changed many large jars of water into wine  or the succeeding miracles and signs he performed before His followers, His last miracle may seem small by comparison, yet is just as indicative of His nature as any of the acts of compassion carried out during his ministry.  In some ways, this small miracle may show His nature even more than the others.

All the Gospels describe the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion and all of them  describe the fact that in the tense moments of the arrest one of Jesus’ followers drew a sword and struck out, severing the ear of a man named Malchus, a servant of the high priest.  John’s Gospel  reveals that it was the impetuous Peter who did this, and who was stopped by Jesus (John 18:10).  It is unlikely that Peter was aiming at the servant’s ear, and the injury was probably sustained when Peter swung  with the sword at the man’s head and Malchus ducked – narrowly avoiding death, but sustaining the loss or partial loss of his ear.

It would not be surprising if this non-life-threatening injury had been ignored in the turmoil that must have accompanied Jesus’ arrest, but Luke adds a detail in this regard which none of the other gospel writers has.  Luke tells us that Jesus “…touched the man’s ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51).  

We must see this miracle in context. Jesus knew the terrible death that awaited him and had only just finished the agonizing prayer in which his sweat was “like drops of blood” (Luke 22:44).  When the soldiers and officers of the high priest came upon Him in the dark and tumult of the arrest, Jesus’ mind must have been full of what was happening and what was about to happen to him.  Humanly, anyone in this situation would hardly be thinking about one of the arresting group hurt in the tumult. 

Yet the mind of Christ was such that even within that dark and emotionally swirling night, despite the shouting, running and confusion that clearly ensued, Jesus noticed the one who had been injured, focused on that and sought the man out, using His last miracle to help an enemy before he chose to forgo any further use of the divine power at His disposal in order to endure the things He knew He must suffer. 

The many miracles and signs wrought by Jesus during his human ministry showed his compassion and care for others, but these were done in times of relative quiet and security.  In Jesus’ last miracle, even as He was led away to His death, He still showed the love that placed His own needs, His own self, not first, but last.