If you are someone who has an e-mail address somewhere in this vast world of the Internet, you no doubt have recieved what our known as "forwards" in the inbox of your e-mail account. I know that I have received hundreds of these things. The forwards tend to cover a wide variety of topics; anywhere from asking you to forward the mail on to a friend to recieve money, to asking you to forward it on to show your love for Jesus Christ. It is forwards such as the latter which got my attention and the Lord has lead me to use them as the topic of this Bible study.
One day I recieved an e-mail forward entitled "Columbine." This particular e-mail described the events that took place a little over a year ago at Columbine High School in Colorado; you may recall that a horrific school shooting took place there. This e-mail went on to tell about a young lady that was shot dead at the school after the gunmen asked her if she believed in God. The e-mail forward concluded by saying, “This is a simple test. If you love Jesus, send this to ten people and the person that sent it to you!”
My question to all of you would be this: Does forwarding an e-mail about a young lady whom stood up for God show that you love Jesus? While it may show you believe in Him, there is something else that you could do to show Jesus how much you love Him, and this is something Biblical, unlike the forwarding of an e-mail.
How is your relationship with God today? Is it all that it could be? Is it all that it should be? If your answer to either of those questions is “no,” then why not rededicate your life back to Christ.
Jesus said:
A good way to show Jesus that you love Him, is to do as He did. Keep the Lord’s commandments; love one another, forgive one another, pray for one another.
If you have backslid from God, ask for His forgiveness. He loves you and He will be faithful and forgive you.
Forwarding an e-mail can be done by anyone, non-Christians and Christians alike.
As Jesus said:
Next time you get some sort of e-mail asking you to forward it if you love Jesus Christ, feel free to forward it, but ask yourself if there is a better way to show God how much you love Him and how much you appreciate His blessings.“'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever; The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, 'But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.'"
(John 14:12-24, NIV)
“'If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.'”
(Matthew 5:46-48, NIV)