Old Fashion Independent Baptist Church

08/30/2025

Loving Others Well

Do you know what love means? Many people grow up with imperfect pictures of love. It can be difficult to think about when we may not have ever experienced true love. It can be even harder to love others when we aren’t sure what that means.

Jesus spoke a lot about love, and He also commanded His followers to love people. More than that, Jesus modeled love in His life and ministry. He gave us a picture of what pure love looks like.

Jesus instructed His disciples multiple times to love one another. The Old Testament also contains commands to love others. Jesus’ command is new, not because it was the first time it had ever been said, but because He uses Himself as the standard.

He doesn’t command us to love people until we’re tired. He doesn’t say to love others until we don’t feel like it. He says to love others in the same way He has loved us.

Jesus loves us unconditionally. He does not hold anything back from us. Instead, He gave His entire life up for us. And He didn’t do this to please other people—but because He loved His Heavenly Father, and His Heavenly Father deeply loved us. It was unconditional love that led Jesus to the cross.

Jesus cares about the quality of our love toward others, and the measure of the quality of our love is Jesus, not people. We shouldn’t compare our acts and thoughts against other people, because the only person we are called to be like is Jesus Himself.

Think about the past few days and reflect on how loving you were toward other people. Did you go out of your way to help someone? Were you selfless in showing love? Consider a few practical ways you can love others the way Jesus loves you. Spend some time in prayer, and then take a step toward showing someone love.

08/13/2025

A Reminder of God’s Goodness

Nahum’s letter to the people of Judah, in the southern part of Israel, is both a call for repentance and a letter of judgment. The northern tribes had already been exiled to Assyria, and the unfaithfulness of Judah was also leading them into exile.

There's a lot happening in Judah at this time. It's an era of national turmoil. The people have been unfaithful. But rather than focusing on the surrounding dangers or the cultural pressures, Nahum points the people back to the character of God—which never changes.

Nahum reminds us that God is good. Even though the world around Israel was changing rapidly, their God remained the same. He is always good. In the midst of every circumstance, we can trust that God will never change but will always desire what is good for us.

Nahum continues to remind us that God is a refuge in the midst of difficult times. Because God is all-powerful, He can protect you from the dangers of this world. But even when you face hard things, He will be there to help you get through them.

Lastly, Nahum tells us that God cares for those who trust in Him. As you put your trust in God, He cares for and watches over your soul. While it can be difficult to trust God in uncertain times, Scripture tells us that it is the only way to true security.

Take some time today to consider your own life and the circumstances you’re in. Whether your situation is a good one or a bad one, remember these three truths:

God is good.
God is your refuge.
God cares for you when you trust in Him.

08/13/2025

Nahum 1:7 KJV
[7] The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

https://bible.com/bible/1/nam.1.7.KJV

03/25/2025

The Most Important Thing

When Jesus was asked by the religious leaders what the most important command was, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5. This verse contains one of the most important commands in all of Scripture.

The starting point for all of our lives is wrapped up in loving God. We were created to love God and have a relationship with Him. This relationship means that we were also made to be loved by God as well.

Amidst everything that you have to do in life, the most important thing is that you love God with everything that you are. If we become successful in life but do not love God, we’ve missed the most important thing.

God instructed the Israelites in Deuteronomy to constantly keep this command in their hearts and minds. They made physical reminders to help them remember to love God in everything they did. They taught this command to their children as the foundation of all other commands in Scripture.

Take some time to consider your life as well. Is loving God the primary motivation? Spend some time thinking about how good and merciful God has been in your life. Maybe create a physical reminder that you will see everyday to help focus your thoughts and heart on loving God.

Remember that God loves you more than you could ever imagine. The best motivation to love God is to constantly remember how much He loves us first.

03/25/2025

Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV
[5] and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

https://bible.com/bible/1/deu.6.5.KJV

03/24/2025

Becoming Like Christ

Scripture tells us that we who belong to Christ are now ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors, we are tasked with two things: the mission of God and the character of Jesus.

The goal this passage sets out for us sounds pretty simple: to become more and more like Jesus in the way that we act, think, and feel, and to also accomplish the purposes that God has for our life. We are tasked to accomplish the work of God in the way He wants it done, following the "word of truth," or the Bible.

As Christians, we should strive to be like Christ. We want to have the same mind and attitude that He had. Paul’s encouragement to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15 reinforces that mindset about our character. In the midst of a culture that is grumbling and fighting, act like Jesus.

In this letter, Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of his past, but instead to let his past be a testament to how Jesus has changed his life. Your past is part of your story, and it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s a way that you can show others how Jesus changed your life.

The best way that we can continue to be transformed by Jesus is to continually seek His truth in Scripture. As we engage with Scripture and the Holy Spirit, our mind, heart, and hands are changed to be more like Christ.

How can you be more like Christ today? Think of a few small steps you can take to begin to shift your thinking and action towards the mission of God or the character of Christ. Ask God for His help as you seek to follow Him daily.

03/24/2025