SWORD for John 15:5

S - Select the Verse/Passage to Study

John 15:5

W - Watch the context of the Text

John 15: 5 is part of Jesus Speech to his disciple before his crucifixion. Before the topic of branch and vine, Jesus talk about the role of the Holy Spirit, and after Jesus talk about the Persecution that His disciple will go through.

O - Observe the important Word

Remain - also can mean as Reside. Dwell in someone's place, or filling up the empty space in someone's heart.

Bear Fruit - Produce a result. Growth in Christ must produce something. A Renewal in way of life and spirit.

R - Reflect on the Message

A Person need to remain/reside in Jesus for the renewed life. However, Jesus need to fill the empty space of their life as well. We are living in the world where a lot of people live with the emotional emptiness. Many tries to fill that emptiness with temporary joy, and find its never satisfying. Only Christ in our heart can fill that emptiness.

The result of Christ in our heart is a change. The fruits we produce, never because of our effort but a continual work of Holy Spirit in our heart. The process of fruit produced in our heart is a long journey just like the real fruit in real life. It must go through many process before a tree can start to produce fruit. However, fruit is the significant sign of a healthy tree. Only when Jesus is remain in us than the fruit can ever be produced.

D - Develop a New Walk in Faith

By the Grace of God my prayer today will be to:

INVITE Jesus to enter my heart to reside and lead me in my path of Christian Walk

ALLOW Jesus to work in my life and help me develop and grow to become a transformed person in Him

ACCEPT that change can never happen on my own strength but through Him who has the power.

New Devotional Method Called SWORD

I am in a process on developing a new Devotional Acronym for the purpose of Singapore Youth Training Camp this coming June in Singapore. Now, despite the depth of DIVER, some who has used it says that DIVER will take a long time to get to the practical and devotional Lesson of the material.

I got part of SWORD from the FAST Program that i've been doing with some of the newly baptized member in our church and through the experience with them, i come with something that has emphasis on practical lesson without neglecting the important part of exegetical work of the text. However, i dont think one exegetical approach will ever cover the whole lesson of the Bible Completely. This method i use is just to help develop the habit, and the student grow and learn deeper about the Bible they may come with their own method or without any method at all.

Since this Acronym is still a "prototype", there will be change along the way.

For Your Love

I am a big fan of the song of the 80's. One of the song that i really love is a song by Stevie Wonder, with the title "For Your Love" The lyrics of that song really touch my heart and express the greatest feeling of love between two lovers.

Jeremiah 31:3 express the same feeling of God towards His people. As we see at the context of the Passage, this particular chapter was written in the time when Israelites had turned their head away from God. As the result, they have to go through the exile and invaded by different foreign kingdom. Yet, God gave them the assurance that His love appeared from the past or far away (in more modern translation) for the people of His heart.

God's love was defined in the word 'ahaba olam' or everlasting love in NIV. The word 'ahaba' often referred to described the loving relationship between husband and wife. The love of Jacob over Rachel, was described with 'ahaba' and that is the reason why he endures the bond he has to go to redeem her from Jacob's father in law. The same expression can be found in the book of Songs of Solomon where Solomon describe the feeling of 'ahaba' over his bride.

However, when the word constructed with the additional word of 'olam' it brought the word meaning furthermore. 'Olam' is the word that describe the vast and unmeasurable distance or intensity. Yet God's love here, was described unmeasurable.

Reflecting on this verse, Stevie's song "For Your Love" suddenly rang on my head once again. God of the universe, wants to have the best relationship with us once again. In the context of Jeremiah, the Israelites had abandoned Him once, but He wants to rebuild that relationship once again. In our context, we might been in the place,time, action, or even attitude that against His desire for us but yet, He said i want to love you with the love that cannot be measured.

Those of us who are married, or in the serious relationship, this verse surely can be something that you can experience yourself. When you say i love you to your spouse or partner, that feeling of happiness when your partner is around, that explosive feeling when they hold your hand, or probably just that awkward emotion when they sit beside you. That is the feeling that God have for each one of His people. God is in love, 'ahaba' with His people. This is the reason why, often God is described as 'jealous' in other verses because the love that He has is indeed possessive, a love that require the other side to be faithful to the commitment that has been made but on the same time redemptive when the other side fall short from the standard and ideal of that relationship.

With this kind of love, isn't it hard not to feel joyful and grateful? That God of the universe, the creator of heaven and earth, the owner of every single cell of the organism, the Lord of all Planet and Galaxy, yet fell in love so deep with us? That despite His business of taking care of planet, yet He still takes His time to write a love note for us, sending a bouquet of flower at our table, and if He has a Facebook account, He is proud to write at His status as "In a Relationship" with us, and His Interest is "Human Being"

It is hard for me to comprehend this wonderful message of the Bible, yet grateful that He is indeed in love with me.

DIVER for Jeremiah 31:3

D - Define the Context of the Text

1. Nature of the Text: Saying of the LORD

2. Observe the text surrounding the text: the verse is part of a speech in which God promise for a restoration of the people of Israel. (Vs.1-22)

I - Identify the Structure of the Text:

(statement) The LORD appeared to us in the past saying:

"I have Loved you with an Everlasting Love" (A)

"I have drawn you with loving kindness" (A')

The statement A and A' is considered as hendiadys, in which two expression led to the same ideas. It was confirmed in the hebrew text (BHS).

The noun "ahaba" in which the word "everlasting love" constructed first, before the verb "aheb" in which the emphasis was placed on the word ahaba itself.

V - Verify the important word:

Everlasting love: ahaba olam

Ahaba - noun

The Word Ahaba, is often used in the expression of love between husband and wife. The same word "ahaba" appeared in the story of Jacob and Rachel (Gen 29:20) to show the love that bloom between the two person, the same word ahaba appeared in the book of Songs of Solomon. At least 4 times (and more) the word ahaba is used to express the passion and love between Solomon and his lover. However, the word is not limited to the relationship of husband and wife. Jonathan and David loving relationship was described with the word "ahaba" as well even though it is not very common

Olam - noun

The word "olam" appeared 300 times in the Old Testament. This word used to describe the distance that are not measured. Most of the time, the word described the future with no end, vast and unmeasurable.

Draw: mashak

This word, in this particular verse described as "to extend", that in a distance God is reaching out into His subject. It was His action.

Loving Kindness: hesed

This word is not just a simple loving kindness in english expression. The Hebrew word itself often used in the term where covenant relationship exist. Means, its binding legally, morally, and completely both parties that went into the relationship. The word often used to describe God's love toward human, in particular the story of the patriarch and exodus. Where covenant theology is the main idea of how God relates to His people.

E - Explore the Cultural, Historical, and Archeological Background

The text was part of God's promise to the remnant of the northern Israelites after the the Assyrian conquered Israelites in 722 BC. Vs.5,6,9 is the internal evidence of this event

R - Read the Theological Message:

1. What is the message for the first hearer: that God loves them despite their rebellion and unfaithfulness

2. What is the message for the present hearer: God's love goes beyond who we are and what we can imagine.