Category Archives: I John

Tony Funderburk shares messages of faith, hope, and love found in the book of 1 John.

Tony Funderburk Posted on by

Who’s singing songs of love?

Most recording artists aren’t singing songs of love anymore. Because most of them don’t even know what true love is anymore. And that’s sad. But not surprising. After all…where in the world can they learn about true love? Certainly not in schools. And unfortunately, probably not even in the homes where they grow up. Because, there, they watch TV shows and movies filled with everything but love.

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Singing songs of love along with the hawk and dove

Singing about hook-ups doesn’t equal singing songs of love.

Just skim through the current Top 40 (or even Top 100) of any secular genre. And try to find a song about true love. I’m talkin’ about committed love. The kind of love that says this is not only not about a one night stand. It’s also not about a thousand night stand. A song that says I love you enough to marry you and be with you for life.

Find those songs.

You can’t.

Because they aren’t there. And that’s because, like I said, most singers and songwriters are clueless about lifelong commitment. They don’t grow up around it. And they certainly couldn’t care less what God says about it.

But, are love songs (about real, true love) important anymore? Actually, they’re more important than ever. Because love leads back to God. And He’s the source of perfect love. The kind that gets rid of fear.

I know it’s not sexy. And sexy sells records. But love lasts. The stuff found in the Top 40 charts doesn’t.

So, if you sincerely wanna do something to stand out from the musical crowd, sing songs about love. And commitment. And eternal life in the presence of perfect love. Now, that’s the way to rock-n-roll, man.

Do Something

Lightning, thunder”got this feeling that’s pulling me under
Magic, voodoo”when it’s got you what can you do?
I feel like I’m not the master of my fate
I do what I must and everything else can wait
I’m rolling in and out more often than the tide
And I don’t wanna be content to let it ride

I gotta do something
“˜Cause doing nothing’s wrong
I gotta do something
To last my whole life long
Find balance with the hawk and dove
Keep living for the perfect love
I believe my God above will help me”
Help me do something!

Longing, yearning”got this fire that won’t stop burning
This existence takes the path of the least resistance
I don’t wanna waste the time that may remain
And I wanna get all that I can out of my brain
I wish that I could always see which way to go
But it’s up to me to pray”and God to know

chorus

inst”chorus to end

© 1988 Tony Funderburk

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God Answers My Prayers

If and when someone asks you why you’re a Christian, I hope one of your answers is: Because God answers my prayers. You can truly believe that He does. How? Trust His word that says He does. Where does His word say that He answers prayers? Basically all through the Bible you can find example after example. And in 1 John, it clearly says God hears and answers prayers. But there’s an important caveat…

…are you praying for God’s will? Or your own? Even Jesus didn’t pray according to His own will. In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to His Father about His impending death and still managed to say, “…not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus had full confidence that God could and would hear and answer His prayers. Do you have even a fraction of that sort of confidence in your Creator? Can you say with any confidence at all…

God answers my prayers?

If you can’t believe it’s true…or that you’re going through more than you can handle and you don’t understand why God isn’t answering your prayers…read Paul’s writings. You’ll discover a life with many more hardships than you’ll probably ever have to endure. And yet you’ll also discover a man who could sing praises to God from prison. Can you forget about yourself and your troubles long enough to sing a joyful song to God? Join me wherever you are, and let’s sing to Him today.

To Be

Count the million, billion, trillion images
Through a thousand thoughts today…
And you’ll never ever nearly nullify
That our Lord’s the only Way…

To be lifted up out of the grave…
And to be sure that my Creator cares…
To be raised in the fullness of life…
To be blessed as God answers my prayers.

© 2015-2017 Tony Funderburk

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How much do you love the things in the world?

A nice home. A decent car and clothes. Furniture. Dishes. A TV. A computer. A smartphone. The list goes on. There’s nothing wrong with wanting and having any of these things…and more. And on a certain level, it’s OK to “love” your things. But when your love for the things in the world distracts you from your love for your Creator…Houston…we have a problem.

There’s a place in the Bible, in the New Testament, where a guy named John wrote, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world””the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life””is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”.

See how the love that John is talking about is lusting after than it is about love? It’s so easy to get caught up in the allure of bright, shiny objects, beautiful people, and things that smell good, taste good, and feel good. But check this out…not one of those THINGS lasts. None ever did. None ever will. Oh sure they might physically outlast you. But they won’t last FOR you. Either they will rust, mold, corrode, or otherwise break down…or you will die and leave them here. There is nothing…no thing…able to give you one more second of life. When you realize that, does it make you feel hopeless? It shouldn’t because…

…you were created to be an eternal person.

Yep, the Bible says God wrote eternity in your heart. He’s eternal, from eternity past to eternity future. And He created you in His image and His likeness. Your life is…or certainly can be…like God’s. Eternal. I told you how your things are unable to add even one more second to your life. The good news…the awesome news is…God adds forever to your life. That is…if you ask. All you gotta do is ask. That seems like the easiest thing in the world. But for most it’s the most difficult. Why? Because it requires giving up self sovereignty and acknowledging the only one in existence who is truly sovereign. Yep, most people live according the lyrics I wrote some time ago that say…

“You wanna live the way you wanna live.
And you wanna be your own king.
You think you’re wise enough to rule your world
And handle everything.”

OK…maybe you can rule your world. Maybe you can accumulate more of the things in the world and lead a normal, happy life. Maybe you can even be your own king. But, like I said…either your things will break down and fade away, or you’ll die and leave them all behind. There’s a one-to-one ratio of people who are born and people who die.

You will be no exception to the things of this world.

If you were to die this year, this month, this week…today…do you know for sure what would happen to you? Do you believe the light of life would simply be switched off and you’d cease to be? Or do you think maybe there’s more?

I know there’s more. There’s an overwhelming body of evidence that proves there’s more. I could tell you about it till the cows come home, but if you don’t look into yourself, my words might seem like a fairy tale. In fact, if what I’m talking about here on my website is wrong…if it’s a lie…then, I’m a fool. I’ve believed the Word of God, found in the Bible, for most of my life. So, for most of my life, either I’ve been foolish enough to believe a lie and trust in something or someone who doesn’t exist…or…I’ve just fooled myself. Or…

…maybe I’ve believed in and trusted the only Truth. Guess what? I’m betting my whole potential eternity, that I’ve made the right choice. If there’s eternal life, and the evidence says there is, then I want that. If there’s a beautiful Heaven where I can spend eternity, then I want that. And most of all, if there’s a God who loves me so much that He became a man, suffered a horrible death, and rose from the dead in order to make sure I could have that eternal life, then I want to spend eternity with Him.

Will you look at the things in the world a different way starting today? If so, write to me and tell me.

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Do you believe God hears you when you pray?

If you’d like to be sure He does, I have some good news for you. You CAN know. For example, there was a guy named John, who wrote this in the Bible: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” That seems pretty straightforward. The verse contains a qualifier “ask anything according to His will”, but it nevertheless assures you that God hears you. Still not convinced? Need more? OK…

…what if God himself told you that He hears you? Would you believe and trust that He does? Well, guess what? He DID tell you. Your Creator said it like this: “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Now, you don’t actually see the words telling you He hears you, but could God do what you ask, if He couldn’t hear you? Before I go any further I’d like you to know you can’t just pray to God for anything you want and expect Him to hear you and give it to you. He’s not a magician, and He’s not Santa Claus. The verse I just quoted, from Matthew, was for a particular group of people in a particular time with a particular set of circumstances. I won’t go into that right now.

But please realize the principle is the same. God hears you.

Depending on your perspective, this next thing I’m gonna tell you will either sound harsh…or completely sensible. Here it is…

…there is only 1 true, living, loving God. When you deal in reality, not dreamy-eyed self-focused fantasies, you realize there can only be 1 God. The very definition of “God” makes that true. There can only be 1 supreme being above all others. After all…if every being is “supreme”, then no one is. Think about it.

Since there can only be 1 true, living, loving God you owe it to yourself to discover who He is. Here are some examples of who He isn’t:

  • you
  • allah
  • mohammed
  • confucius
  • buddha
  • the whole of creation

The 1 true, living, loving God of the Bible is the only one who can give you eternal life. But He won’t force it on you if you don’t want it. He requires one thing from you, in order to receive eternal life, and that’s this…ask. Ask Him to come into your heart and save you, change you, and make you whole. Ask with a humble and repentant heart. When you acknowledge you’re sorry for the things you’ve done to others and to yourself, God hears you. And the angels rejoice.

So this Christmas season why not get the gift that keeps on giving forever…salvation. Jesus already paid for it. And if you’ve already gotten yours, pass it on. Tell others about it. When God hears you talking about His Son, He’s well-pleased. Will you?

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The Bible says “no one has seen God at any time“. Even though He’s invisible to us, He’s still more real than all of us put together. And even though you can’t see Him, you can still see what He’s like. Would you like to know how? OK, I’ll tell you…

…you love others as you love yourself.

Because you can’t say no one has seen YOU. Right?

Does that sound easy? It should, because it is. God makes things easy for us. But we seem to always make things harder than they need to be. God loves you so much, He came to earth and became a man to make up for all the times you do wrong things. While He was here on earth, He was known as Jesus. And Jesus talked about love…a lot. In fact, Jesus is the one who said you should love your neighbor as yourself. Why do you think love is so important to God? Here’s why…

…because when you love others, you won’t do bad things to them. You’ll want to do good things for them. And isn’t that more fun? Isn’t it nicer to see a smile on someone’s face than to see them crying? If you think about it, it doesn’t take much to make someone smile. Does it? Sometimes all you have to do is make a funny face, and you can make someone smile…or laugh. Maybe you’ve made your mom breakfast in bed for her birthday or Mother’s Day. Didn’t that make her smile? Pretty easy, huh?

Of course, sometimes you’ll meet someone who is very, very unhappy. Then, it’s a little harder to make them smile. But you can do it. You just have to show even more love. It make take a little more time, and it may take a little more effort, but you can do it. When you don’t give up, you’ll be showing them love like Jesus showed you. Can you imagine what happens then?

Well…even though no one has seen God, you’ll be showing what He’s like. His love can shine right through you into the faces and the hearts of other people you meet. Then, they might want to know Him like you do. And just think…you’ll be helping them to Heaven.

Do you think you could do that for someone today? If so, tell me about it. Here’s a rhyme to help…

I can show love to my neighbor.
And neighbors are all around.
When I show love to my neighbor,
They can go from lost to found.

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If you told your mom or dad you love them, but then you always disobey and make trouble, what do you think that says about you? It says your words don’t mean much. You can tell anybody anything. But if you don’t mean what you say, they’ll know it. If not at first, they’ll catch on after a while. That’s why saying you love someone is not enough. You need to show ’em.

The good news is…everybody is looking for love. All you need to do is make yours easy to see.

How do you do that? Well, think of how you like people to show you love. Then do some of those things for others…even if they’re not doing it for you, or even if they haven’t done anything for you all day. You be first.

Remember, saying you love someone is not enough.

Do something nice, and see how much better you feel. And don’t be surprised if you make someone smile. Do something nice, and I’ll bet some nice things happen for you, too. Think of it this way…

Saying you love someone is easy to do,
But showing your love should be, too.
Starting today, with the words that you say,
Share all the best parts of you.

Saying you love someone is not quite enough
And backing it up might seem tough,
But make it your plan, I’m sure that you can
Because you’re made of the right stuff.

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Hey you! Are you afraid of monsters?

Have you ever read a book or heard a story or watched a movie about monsters under the bed? Or monsters who live in caves? Or monsters who hide under bridges waiting for travelers to cross? Did those stories or movies make you afraid of monsters? Well, there’s something that can help you never be afraid of monsters again. Wanna know what it is? I’ll tell you…

It’s perfect love.

Do you know what perfect love is? First, there’s the word “perfect”. It means something that has nothing wrong with it. It’s not broken. It’s not even cracked. It is exactly the way it should be. Then, there’s the word “love”. You know what that is…right? You love your mom or your dad. And you love your sister or your brother. You love your best friend. It’s that wonderful feeling you get inside when you see the person you love.

So “perfect love” must be a perfectly mushy feeling…right? Well, yes…but then again…maybe not.

The only PERFECT love you’ll ever find comes from God. He created you, and He loves you more than you can ever imagine. And His love is perfect because it’s holy, righteous, and pure. God’s love will never break. It won’t even crack. And He’s always ready, willing, and able to give it all to you…if you want Him to.

So, are you really afraid of monsters?

Do you ever wonder if there are any monsters in your room? Or do you walk over a bridge and wonder if there’s a monster under it? Have you ever watched a movie with monsters and wonder if any of them could be real? If so, talk to God. Tell Him you don’t want to be afraid of monsters or any other bad thing in the world. His perfect love will fly into your heart and into your brain and those monster thoughts will fly out. What do you say? Do you wanna give it a try? If you do, or you did it, send me a note and let me know. And keep in mind…

The perfect love of God can live in you.
He’ll give it to you, if you want Him to.
The monsters never win, when you let Jesus in
And let His perfect love and light shine through.

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Or how about some music for believers, dreamers, and thinkers