The Greatest Commandment

If love is free, then why is it so hard to give? If love is so necessary, then why do we struggle to show it?

During our study of Crazy Love, we are being challenged with questions such as these, but not just in the pages of the book. We are experiencing it in our lives. We are being challenged by unkind co-workers, family members that have hurt us in the past, friendships that have created unfair accusations and relationships that have produced disappointments; sometimes, we even struggle with loving ourselves.

For me, I know that a topic is necessary when not only life produces opportunities to practice the topic, but also when the Holy Spirit presses upon the heart of our ministers to expound even further on the topic. God is moving and flowing in our Bible study and He has allowed situations of life to show up in our midst, to challenge us to not just discuss truth, but to practice and live it out!

Yesterday, apart of the sermon that I received in church expounded on the woman with the alabaster box (Luke 7:47). In these verses of scripture, Jesus exclaims that in order to love much, we must understand how tremendously we have been forgiven. "A person who has been forgiven little shows only a little love". In other words, Love reflects forgiveness. If I feel as if I'm not "that bad", or if I dwell on always being a victim... if I feel as if I've done nothing wrong, if I cannot see past my own circumstances and not accept the reality that ALL HAVE SINNED, then it is difficult for me to show compassion and mercy on others. How can I love those who are imperfect if I do not identify myself with imperfection? Jesus explains that this is not possible.

As Believers in Christ, we must understand that all sin requires forgiveness and that forgiveness is the ultimate act of love. Jesus forgave my sin because of His great love for me, I must forgive others because of my great love for Christ. In his book, Francis Chan goes to explain that loving people can be very difficult, because it goes against our human nature, so we must pray that God equips us with Love for others.

In the Gospels, Jesus declares that the greatest commandment is to Love God with all that we have and all that we are, and then to Love others. Why is this the greatest commandment? It's because is the most difficult and most selfless act of obedience. Loving God and loving others is the most powerful act of dying to self. As Children of God, we must extend great love to others because God has extended such great love to us. This goes hand in hand... when I love God, I can love others, When I love others, I am loving God. If this were easy, it wouldn't be the greatest commandment. But thank God we have a helper... the Holy Spirit, who gives us the strength that we need to accomplish all things, for the glory of God, through His son, Christ Jesus!

Go out and love, my sisters!
~Pearls

Living a Life on Display

I was recently reminded of a conversation I had with a friend of mine, many years ago. She insisted that, in this day and age, people could make their own choices for the particular life that they chose to live, without any spiritual consequences, because God was a loving God who dealt with every person differently and times aren't as simple as they were in the Bible. Of course, this comment really shocked me: the girl who was raised in a Christian home, who attended a Christian School and who went to church, at my parents' urging, more than 3 times a week. I was so perplexed at her statement and attempted to show her the error of her assumptions. I felt angry, almost, that she could even insinuate that a person's choices could override God's law or that God's way was not concrete and could be negotiable, depending on the person's situation or circumstance. I remember saying things like, "You really need to come to church with me"
But, to be totally honest, I was the one more in need of church than she was, because, at least she was sincere in her living. At the time, I was living a completely hypocritical lifestyle. I claimed that I was a "Christian", but I was not living a life pleasing to God. I had my checklist of "dos and don'ts" that satisfied my own conscience, but I was living far from the truth and the grace of the Gospel. Still, I made attempts to drag my heavy "Christian Soap Box" around at the ready, in order to position it just right, so that I could stand on it, firmly, and declare to the world the proper way in which a Child of God should live! In my private life, I made excuses for myself, but in front of an audience, I turned on the "church girl" switch. I was a mess. My life was far from a good example.

Years later, as I cringe to look back at that conversation, and so many others like it, because I realize that I wasn't doing her, myself, or God any favors. In actuality, I was living the life that she described. What right did I have to try and show her "the way", when I wasn't following it myself? I was the one who had deceived myself into thinking that God's word and His ways could be negotiable and that I was exempt from things clearly stated in scripture. I was the hypocrite, because I knew the truth, but rejected it. I knew what was right, but only displayed it in public, for people to see my good deeds. She was living her life in a more honest way than I was. She was not pretending. She was genuine.
During those early college years, I was full of self-righteousness, taking on the impossible burden of trying to lead others to a Jesus that I did not even know or celebrate within my own heart. I was blinded by my own attempts of "goodness" and I was a hindrance to those around me who were sincerely looking for the truth. This is the issue that we face as Christians everyday: There are people who are looking for Christ, but, unfortunately, the examples they often come across are half-hearted, soap box carriers who insist on their own personal truths, lacking the compassion and relationship with Jesus that has the power to save us all!

The scary truth is, so many people are in the "Middle", so to speak, looking for sincerity, truth and a genuine understanding of God. They are searching beyond mere belief and church attendance. Think about those in your own life, who might be among the "Middle": individuals who aspire to know God, yet try to in their own way and in their own efforts; those who are familiar with "Church", but lack a true relationship with Jesus. What about that co-worker who takes pride in her volunteer work, but has no true concept of what it really means to fall in love with Jesus? Think about that relative, who considers themselves a "good person", but doesn't understand the message of the Gospel or the gift of salvation in Christ. Or what about your neighbor, who prays and reads positive messages and engages in affirmations, but can't quite grasp their need for a Savior or their perfection in Him? They are looking for signs and proof of the Truth and guess who God put in their lives to demonstrate it... YOU!!!

As we make our choices and live our lives, let us examine the state of our own hearts, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to do:

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?"

Are we passing the test? Are we relying on the Holy Spirit to do good works in us for God, or have we taken on the impossible job of trying to do it ourselves? Are we being true and authentic witnesses in public and in private? Are we sharing the love of Christ with those around us, or are we sharing legalism, denominationalism or worse yet, religion and impossible rituals? Are we hugging, or hurting? Are we giving or judging? Are we offering compassion or condemnation?

The problem with the soap box, as I came to realize, is that it's not strong enough to hold us up forever. Eventually, the weight of our own sin will cause our soap boxes to come crashing down. It's an inadequate stage and a façade. Sooner or later, it will begin to rip and tear and we will fall through. Not so with Jesus! He is consistent, everlasting and our eternal foundation!

There is a world full of hearts that are longing for the blessing of assurance in Christ. They need to know how much the Father loves them (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:1), how their way might bring destruction but God's way can bring new life (Romans 6: 23; 1 John 1:9) and that they can be eternally sealed in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2: 13; 2 Corinthians 5:7; 2 Corinthians 1: 21-23). This is the good news and hope of the Gospel: not that we have all the answers, but that God provided the answer in Jesus, making a way for us to be pleasing in His sight and providing His love to us, which we can then share with those around us.

It's time to break down our boxes, girls! Don't be afraid to share Jesus with others. There are so many people who are desperate for Him! Let's not keep them waiting!

~Pearls

Rich Girls!

This is for the good girls, the fun girls, the "I don't need a thing" girls! We wear our heels high and our earrings low. We pop bottles to celebrate minuscule things and change relationships out of boredom. Who needs to read scripture? We have our own way of doing things. Our opinions are worth a million bucks! We have our makeup and our magazines, our fun, our rings and our friends! Our bank accounts urge us to spend out of plenty! We have gold to decorate our bodies and education to adorn our minds. 1,000 strangers follow us on IG and the girl next door is no competition for us. We are rich girls! We are legends in our own minds...but we are lacking greatly.

We are a people most poor. We show off our assets and present our lives as prosperous to all our friends on social media, but underneath the name brands and the selfies, the degrees and the business cards, we stand in calamity caused by a lack of wealth that only comes from the Spirit. Our lack of need has resulted in our lack of truth. Our riches and our confidences in our own capability has left us spiritually poor. Our lips are red with plans and suggestions, but our hearts are hollow from a lack of light."Everyone has their own truth", it is declared, yet as a people, we are stumbling in the dark. We are following this teaching and that fad; this person and that new philosophy, only to end up lost along the way. We are told that there is no longer any relevance in God's truth, because God is circumstantial and absolute truth is obsolete. In our high times, we look within, but isn't it funny how tragedy causes our nation to look outward and up in times of need? Why is it that Truth is such a scary thing? People want to avoid it, disclaim it, reject it and excuse it away. They try to find loop holes and exceptions, but why? Simply put, it's because the very essence and origin of Truth is God himself, who is light.

In the book of Mark, Jesus confronts a young man who was a product of his own riches. He claimed to be on the quest for truth and corners Jesus for an answer (Mark 10:17-27). In this situation, the man asks a simple question: "What good thing must I do to receive eternal life?" Scripture tells us that Jesus loved this young man. He knew what laid in his heart and presents the commandments to the young man, who simply disregards them, having felt justified that he had never offended any. He was convinced that his lifestyle was up to pair with God's standards. So Jesus tells the man to sell everything that he has and follow him; this was his way to eternal life. But instead of being excited to do so, Scripture tells us that the young man sadly left. He valued his earthly treasures above the truth. He could not hack it. He didn't just refuse a truth, he refused THE Truth. He turned from Christ, because the call wasn't easy or glamorous.

Looking over this story, it occurs to me that the road to finding the Truth is a quest of self abandonment. There is no glitter or bling. There won't be any neon lights to brag on our arrival or any headlines to announce its value. Accepting God's truth is a trade of charm. It requires not only a curiosity to know, but also a willingness to let go. In order to find God, we must loose ourselves. In order to receive heavenly riches, we must be willing to risk our earthly ones. This can come in the form of laying aside our pride, rejecting our right to be heard, compromising our needs and our wants for the benefit of others', forgiving when it isn't fair and even, at times, admitting to our own short comings, instead of excusing them away.

The Rich Young Ruler held on too tightly to his own sense of perfection, which kept him from knowing the Truth. He did not recognize that his heart was filled with self-righteousness and pride. He lacked humility and faith. In his heart, he carried filthy rags and garments. He depended on himself and not the Lord; not realizing that his self-made riches were really only rags compared to what God had for him. Nothing we can create could ever compare to God's plans for us. The reality, however, is that we must first recognize our need for God's truth in our lives, despite our opinions of ourselves.
Our young friend in this Bible passage failed to recognize his need for what Christ was offering him. He was a hero in his own mind; convinced that he had never done any wrong and unwilling to part with his own efforts of success. The opportunity for a trade was offered to him, in exchange for these rags, but He assumed that he was clean, based on his own understanding. The young man asked for an answer, but when given the truth, he walked away. For him, the truth was just too honest for his comfort. Many of us are like him. We look at what we haven't done, while ignoring what we have done. Welook at what we don't need, while ignoring what we do need. Yet, we all need the Lord, and we all need Truth. We can look at his situation and pity him for it. We could say, "How stupid of him. He could have encountered Heaven!" But the fact is, all of us have walked away from the Truth in one area or another; yet, if we are to encounter God, we must first be willing to not only seek the truth, but accept it.

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."~John 14:6

In each of us, there is a Rich Young Ruler. Some of us are rich in our intellect. Others in our finances or in our relationships. We may be rich in our social status or in our education. But when it comes to knowing God, we must be willing to abandon all those things, in order to receive something greater! The time is coming, has come and will come again, when we must face the Truth of ourselves in the light of God's Word and His Will for us. If we accept His Truth, despite the difficulties and discomfort, the Bible says that a crown of glory awaits for us (2 Timothy 4:8).


In irony of it all, when we are willing to loose our riches, our entitlement and ourselves, all for the sake of Christ, well, we really gain it all back (Matthew 10:39). What seems scary to let go of, or fearful to face, is often times what is required for our progression. The truth, as we know it, is limiting; but trusting in the Truth of who God is and what He wants for our lives is transforming! This is what it really means to be rich, girls! I hope you all receive the Truth within your own hearts, that God's ways are higher than ours, that our treasure should be laid up in heaven and that a crown of glory awaits those who are obedient, faithful and pursue His Truth til the end. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. It's an awesome trade if you think about it: Riches for Rags!

Let the treasure of Truth shine in you!
~Pearls

Is Christianity Still Relevant?

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Last Thursday, a crowd of comments swarmed Facebook regarding the topic of religion vs spirituality after a post was uploaded featuring women co-hosts on ABC's The View. In the video clip, the stars discussed on the morning talk show their personal opinions, acceptance and reactions of modern day religion and the path to God. Raven Symone, America's sweet heart and child star from the Cosby Show and Disney's That's So Raven show, made some rather interesting remarks in regards to her personal beliefs and opinions on the matter:

"Every religion has it's time and place and then we start evolving [as a human race]...I have a personal rejection to religion itself, but spirituality is through everybody, no matter what God you praise to."

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She also states on the show that she was focusing her lifestyle on New Age montras, light and energy. Her words were said with such confidence and the crowd gave a roaring applause, but I wonder, within the inner being of her own heart, is Raven, along with the others in our world, truly satisfied with the condition of their souls? Or are they, like many, on the search to find fulfillment within their own means? And if so, is the debate to convince themselves or those around them?

Scripture tells us to be careful of false teachings or of words that lure us into self-gratification..."tickling ears" is what the Bible calls it:

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
~2 Timothy 4:3

There is no doubt that we are in such an era, where people willingly reject what is true and sound in exchange for what is comfortable and for what allows them to maintain a certain lifestyle without responsibility for God's word. Everyone feels they have their own personal path to God, yet scripture is very clear that there is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus, His son!

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is through His Son. Whoever has the Son has eternal life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life" ~1 John 5: 11-12

The next day after this video was posted on Facebook, the girls from Pearls of Hope had a very riveting discussion on the matter. Here are some of the comments they shared:

"I understand there may be people in the world who profess Christ but they are not setting the best examples and it's unfortunate, but people have been rejecting him since he came into the world. That's a choice. You are choosing not to believe, don't blame the next person and use them as the representative for the entire body. Try him for yourself." - Brittany

"It bothers me that all of those ladies seemed to try to make excuses for the world and themselves and blame it on religion for the reasons they're conforming to this "new age"...(people) think they are saved because they believe in God or his existence but then choose to live their own way because they don't know what's required of them because they're not seeking God and his kingdom and staying glued to his word!" -Amanda

"Although people like her make me sad, I feel like they just need the right experience to change their whole perspective. There is still hope for her and those with that mentality as long as they are breathing. We really have to pray hard for them."- Ariel

In a nut shell, no matter who you are or what you've heard or what you've read, God's word must be the source of our lives and the means by which we make our decisions, because He is God. If He says it, we know it is truth, because God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). Yet, our society defies the very nature of God by rejecting His word and clinging on to their own intellect, opinions and views. And worse, they demand that we, those who belong to God and are called of Christ, to assimilate ourselves with their perspective and their views, expecting us to quietly "respect" their life choices, while they openly reject ours. It is a difficult condition that the Christian has found themselves in: to boldly proclaim Christ to a world who has rejected him, or silently disagree in our hearts for fear of being rejected ourselves. Yet scripture tells us that they will reject us- well... not really us, but the Spirit of Christ who lives in us (Matthew 10:22). 

If we are to be effective Christians, we must not align ourselves with the world in regards to things that are contrary to the Bible. In love, we must allow the courage of the Holy Spirit to raise up within us and declare, "No. This is not right. There is only one way and there is only one path, and this is through Jesus!"

The women on The View, regardless of their personal opinions, each have a soul that is precious to God. But I wonder how many of them truly understand the Gospel message? How many of them, in their own power and in their own attempt at goodness, are trying to pave their own path, despite the fact that God has already paved one for them and for us all? The issue isn't Spirituality vs. Religion...even the Devil and his demonds are spiritual! Religion is man's own attempt at righteousness, which we know is disgusting to God (Isaiah 64:6). So the question then isn't spirituality or religion...The real question is, Do you want a relationship with God or not? If you do, it's only possible through Jesus! All other attempts, forms, beliefs or traditions will not make the cut. It's only through him that we are reconciled to God. This is the way of God. Any other route leads away from Him, away from His light and away from His kingdom.

Here are more scriptures on the matter:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Corinthians 2:14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 4:8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Romans 1:20 For God's invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has eternal life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life!

We invite you to watch the clip and to share your thoughts, comments and questions with us! We'd be happy to pray with you or explain God's plan of salvation with even more detail with you! Please know that, no matter where you are in life, you will never go too far that God can't reach out and bring you to Himself!

Our prayers go up for you and for all those who are still searching!

~Pearls