Hi, I'm Wintley Phipps,
and welcome to our program,
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Perfecting Me,
Becoming More Like Jesus.
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I'm so glad you joined us.
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My guests today on
our program are JD Quinn,
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3ABN Pastoral
Ministries Manager,
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Georges Fleurimond,
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Pastor of the West Park
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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and Mrs. Adly
Campos, Speaker and President
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of Family
Well-Being International.
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You'll hear from
them a little later.
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In the State of New
York, there is an old cemetery
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that holds the
graves of Northern soldiers
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who fought and died
during the Civil War.
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Over one grave, in
particular, hangs the simple
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but touching
epitaph "He died for me".
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The sign was placed
there by a man who had been
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drafted to fight in that war,
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the bloodiest in
American history.
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He had a wife and children,
and he despaired at the thought
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of leaving them
alone unprotected
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in the event of his death.
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As he prepared
for his departure,
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someone knocked on the door.
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The man opened the door
to find a stranger who said,
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"I have neither a
wife nor a child."
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The young man
said, "You have a family,
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so I have arranged
to go in your place."
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Throughout the many
months of that terrible war,
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this father
watched the newspaper
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for a list of
the wounded and dead.
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One day, he saw
the young man's name
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and realized that he had
died on a nearby battlefield.
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The man rushed to
retrieve the body,
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having identified the
young man among the fallen,
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he brought his body home.
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And there, with great
tenderness and respect,
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he buried the young
man in his family cemetery.
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He attached the sign
that said, "He died for me."
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What would cause someone
to give his life for another
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as the young man in this story?
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The only answer, love.
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The highest and
most noble expression
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of the character of God, love.
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It is the only
explanation for such a pure
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and selfless sacrifice
on behalf of a stranger.
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Today, we will
take our first look
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at this most
beautiful, majestic dimension
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of God's character, love.
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I was a student in
college, and I was madly in love
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with a pretty girl
by the name of Linda.
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Everything took on
and enhanced meaning,
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every song
seemed to be about us.
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The campus was more beautiful,
the classes were more exciting.
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And no matter what I was doing,
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a part of me was
always thinking about Linda.
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That's what love does to you.
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And it makes you do
some crazy things too.
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For example, I'm not a plumber,
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but I'm
observant and determined,
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so when one of the faucets
at Linda's mother's house
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stopped working, I
saw the opportunity
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to gain some manly points.
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And I'm still not
sure how I did it,
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let's just call it
a mix of desperation
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and perseverance,
but I fixed the faucet,
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I became a plumber.
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Linda still calls me today
her knight in shining armor.
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And ever since that
day, I've been determined
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to keep that image alive.
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Linda and I were married,
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and we've been
married for 41 years.
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We still enjoy telling people,
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"We met on a trip
around the world,"
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because that
feeling of being in love,
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we still have it to this day.
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But I meet so many husbands
and wives who have become
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a little more than roommates.
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That Eros, love has dwindled
from flames to burning coals
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and then to ashes.
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Their marriages are cold.
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I heard about a
couple that was driving home
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from a restaurant
where they had celebrated
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their 25th wedding anniversary.
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Sitting over against the door,
the wife began to reminisce,
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"Oh, honey, remember
when we were so close
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when we first got married?
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We sat so close you
could hardly shift the gears,
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and now look at us."
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Her husband quickly
responded, "I do remember,
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but I'm not the one who moved."
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Maintaining a marriage requires
the hard work of learning
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to love each other in
more ways and in better ways.
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It requires
learning to make the decision
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that your love is more important
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than hurt feelings.
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It requires making
all of the other aspects
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of your life subservient
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to the preservation
of that relationship.
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It requires opening your heart
over and over and over again.
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It reminds me of another couple
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that had been
married for 50 years.
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One day, the wife
said to her husband,
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"Things have changed.
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You used to sit
very close to me."
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"Well, I can remedy
that," the husband answered.
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He got up and moved over,
sat next to her on the sofa,
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then she said, "You
always used to hold me tight,
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do you remember?"
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"Oh, yes, I do,"
answered the husband.
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He placed his arms around
her and gave her a big hug.
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Then he asked, "How is that?"
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With a little smile on her face,
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the wife continued,
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"You used to nuzzle my
neck and nibble on my ear.
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Do you remember that?"
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All of a sudden, the
husband jumped to his feet
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and left the room.
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"Where are you going,"
his wife called after him.
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"I'll be right
back," he answered,
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"I got to get my teeth."
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Romantic love is
a wonderful thing
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if you do it right.
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You would not leave a beautiful
diamond ring lying around
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where it could
be lost or stolen.
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You take good care of it
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and good care of
things you treasure.
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Take care of the
love that God has given
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to both of you.
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Take care of the love
that is in your heart.
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I want you to see this video
brought to us by our friends
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at the 700 Club.
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I wanted to serve my country
after what I saw in 9/11.
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And I was watching in the
news the invasion of the marines
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in Fallujah.
00:07:09.29\00:07:10.66
And I said, "I
should be doing that."
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So I joined the Marine Corps.
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May 4, 2010, I was deployed
to Iraq three different times,
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those were three
combat deployments
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with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines.
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In the 2010, now I'm
married. I have a family.
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Nairobi was four years
old, and my youngest one
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was a couple months.
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May 16, 2010, I
was getting ready
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to go on a foot
patrol, group of 19 marines.
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We ended the
mission, we were ready to go.
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And when I was
walking, I stepped on an IED.
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It was before the Father's
Day and before our anniversary.
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I was on my way
to the postal office
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to send my care package,
and then somebody called me,
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and they just asked
me, "Are you Mrs. Evans?"
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And at that moment, I
knew something wrong happened
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to Carlos, but I
thought he was already dead.
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I heard a big explosion,
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that's how I
knew I stepped on it.
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Both my legs got blown up.
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My left arm got blown up too.
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I started losing so much blood,
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I had nine
tourniquets in my body.
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I had four here,
four here, and one here.
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At that time, I wanted to die
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because I was going
through so much pain.
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The marine that was with
me, he kept asking me, you know,
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"What's your wife's name?"
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And I told him, "Rose."
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He's like, "What are
your daughters' names?"
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I'm like, "Nairobi" I said.
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He's like, "You're
going to go home to them.
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You're not going
to die here today."
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And that's the
last thing I remember.
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I think six days
passed by, and I woke up
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in Bethesda
Washington, D.C., Hospital.
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I opened my eyes, and I
saw my wife right next to me.
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But it didn't sink in
what actually happened to me
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after I left the hospital.
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That's when I really
had to adjust to life.
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I was struggling with a
body that I didn't want.
00:09:03.44\00:09:07.11
There were days
that I wanted to die.
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I woke up every day,
and I'm like, you know,
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"How can I die?"
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And I was having
a lot of mood swings
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because I was
taking a lot of medication.
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Some days, I was in
my room all day crying.
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I was thanking God
because I was alive,
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but at the same time, I was mad
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because I didn't understand why,
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and I'm a Christian,
this could happen to me,
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you know, why am I
going through so much pain,
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you know, where
are you God, you know.
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My prayer at the time
was, "God, give me the wisdom
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to make the right decisions,
or say the right words to him,
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or encourage him,
and encourage my family,
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keep them together 'cause
I don't want to lose them.
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I don't want to lose my
family through this situation."
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I think three
months after my injury,
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I go to the living
room, and I see my wife,
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and I'm getting ready
to tell her, I'm like,
00:10:03.16\00:10:04.67
"You know what,
00:10:04.70\00:10:07.97
you should just
continue with your life,
00:10:08.00\00:10:09.70
and I'll continue with mine.
00:10:09.74\00:10:11.94
I will just stay here
'cause you don't deserve this."
00:10:11.97\00:10:16.14
And she just looks at me,
right, straight in the eyes,
00:10:16.18\00:10:21.62
and she just tells
me, "I prayed to God
00:10:21.65\00:10:25.35
to bring you back home
alive, and you are here alive.
00:10:25.39\00:10:30.13
You are my husband. And
I love you for who you are.
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I am not a widow,
00:10:34.66\00:10:37.50
and your
daughters are not orphans.
00:10:37.53\00:10:40.27
You are their father."
00:10:40.30\00:10:41.67
She tells me, "I
love you for who you are."
00:10:41.70\00:10:45.07
And I was like,
00:10:45.11\00:10:46.44
"Oh, you can't
love me for who I am.
00:10:46.47\00:10:47.91
Look at all my
wounds in my body."
00:10:47.94\00:10:50.58
And she told me,
"It's the difference
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between you and me.
00:10:52.88\00:10:54.88
I don't see your
wounds, I only see your scars.
00:10:54.92\00:10:58.15
And the scars are the evidence
of who healed your wounds,
00:10:58.19\00:11:02.76
and that is Jesus.
00:11:02.79\00:11:05.39
And He is the center of my life.
00:11:05.43\00:11:07.30
And we're going
to make it through."
00:11:07.30\00:11:10.53
That same week, my wife told me,
00:11:10.57\00:11:13.10
"We need to go to
church this week."
00:11:13.13\00:11:16.87
I haven't been to my
church like six or seven months.
00:11:16.91\00:11:21.31
I had this moment by myself
in the church, I was like,
00:11:21.34\00:11:26.25
"You know what, Lord, I...
00:11:26.28\00:11:29.55
I just don't
know how to do this.
00:11:29.58\00:11:31.62
You know, I don't...
00:11:31.65\00:11:33.09
I don't know how
to live this way."
00:11:33.12\00:11:35.99
In my heart, in my mind
comes a scripture, you know,
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"You can do all things through
Christ that strengthens you."
00:11:39.79\00:11:42.73
And I'm like, "Lord, I
have so much pain in my body.
00:11:42.76\00:11:45.90
I have all these wounds."
00:11:45.93\00:11:48.17
And right there,
I look at the cross
00:11:48.20\00:11:49.54
and I see Jesus,
and I see His wounds,
00:11:49.57\00:11:53.14
that He was wounded
so I could be healed.
00:11:53.17\00:11:55.51
And that was a big
breakthrough in my life.
00:11:55.54\00:11:58.51
He was more positive.
00:11:58.55\00:12:00.55
He was like more focused
and more determined to change.
00:12:00.62\00:12:06.32
I started not focusing on
what I don't have and focusing
00:12:06.35\00:12:10.66
on the things that I have.
00:12:10.73\00:12:13.40
And I started enjoying my
life, waking up with a smile,
00:12:13.43\00:12:18.03
and finding God's
purpose behind all this,
00:12:18.07\00:12:23.10
that God could use
our scars to heal others.
00:12:23.14\00:12:28.54
We speak to a lot
of wounded veterans
00:12:28.58\00:12:32.65
like myself.
00:12:32.68\00:12:34.02
There's a lot
of people out there
00:12:34.08\00:12:35.42
that are going through a
lot and they want to give up,
00:12:35.45\00:12:37.79
and they need to see an example,
00:12:37.82\00:12:40.12
we share our lives with them.
00:12:40.16\00:12:42.46
Not everybody have a
husband that lost both legs,
00:12:42.49\00:12:46.16
but everybody have hard times.
00:12:46.19\00:12:48.73
On my part, what I could
say is ask God for wisdom.
00:12:48.76\00:12:51.90
The only right
decisions come from Him.
00:12:51.93\00:12:54.60
When God looks at
you, He doesn't look at you
00:12:54.64\00:12:58.71
as a victim, as a cripple, sick,
00:12:58.74\00:13:03.85
God looks at you as a
son and as a conqueror.
00:13:03.88\00:13:09.05
And when you look at
yourself through that mirror,
00:13:09.08\00:13:11.72
whatever looks
impossible, it becomes possible.
00:13:11.75\00:13:15.29
So I looked at this
experience, I'm like,
00:13:15.32\00:13:18.33
"Wow, this is a
blessing in disguise,"
00:13:18.36\00:13:21.36
because we have
grown so much from it.
00:13:21.40\00:13:23.97
I'm a better father,
I'm a better husband,
00:13:24.03\00:13:25.93
I'm a better person.
00:13:25.97\00:13:27.87
And we're
touching a lot of people
00:13:27.90\00:13:29.50
through God's grace.
00:13:29.54\00:13:32.37
So I don't regret it.
00:13:32.41\00:13:34.98
If I have to go
through it all over again,
00:13:35.01\00:13:37.15
will do it the same way.
00:13:37.21\00:13:39.45
Joining us again are my guests
JD Quinn, and Adly Campos,
00:13:45.35\00:13:49.29
and Pastor George Fleurimond.
00:13:49.32\00:13:51.86
You know, love is the
zenith of God's character.
00:13:51.89\00:13:55.66
It is the highest,
most noble expression
00:13:55.70\00:13:59.10
of the character of God.
00:13:59.13\00:14:00.94
As a matter of fact,
there are many dimensions
00:14:00.97\00:14:02.90
of character in the Word
of God associated with God
00:14:02.94\00:14:06.57
but only one so
closely associated as love,
00:14:06.61\00:14:11.21
so much so that the
Bible says, "God is love."
00:14:11.25\00:14:16.55
JD, what expressions of love...
00:14:16.58\00:14:21.69
Or what to you is
a great manifestation
00:14:21.72\00:14:24.59
and what is your
definition of what love is?
00:14:24.63\00:14:30.83
Well, you know, I've
been very fortunate in my life
00:14:30.87\00:14:33.30
because I was raised
in a family with love.
00:14:33.34\00:14:35.54
Yes.
00:14:35.57\00:14:36.91
And love was taken for
granted, and then I met my wife.
00:14:36.97\00:14:39.51
Yes.
00:14:39.54\00:14:40.88
And then that's
when I began to have
00:14:40.94\00:14:42.31
a better understanding of love.
00:14:42.34\00:14:44.01
Right now, I'd say longevity.
00:14:44.05\00:14:46.25
Why longevity? Why longevity?
00:14:46.28\00:14:48.92
Because I've
learned what exchange is,
00:14:48.95\00:14:53.72
I've learned what trust
is, I've learned, you know,
00:14:53.76\00:14:56.59
what acceptance
is, I've learned that
00:14:56.62\00:14:58.99
in spite of weaknesses,
I'm unconditionally loved.
00:14:59.03\00:15:03.23
And so if you can
see that with your wife,
00:15:03.26\00:15:06.07
you know where that came from
and that it's a gift from God.
00:15:06.10\00:15:09.34
Yes.
00:15:09.37\00:15:10.71
And then I've learned
that taking it a step further
00:15:10.74\00:15:13.01
is with my brothers
and sisters in Christ.
00:15:13.04\00:15:15.31
Yes. Yes.
00:15:15.34\00:15:16.68
And then I became a father,
00:15:16.75\00:15:18.48
and that is by
sharing with others.
00:15:18.51\00:15:20.85
I have the opportunity
talking to people daily.
00:15:20.92\00:15:23.39
Yes.
00:15:23.42\00:15:24.75
And just taking a
little bit of that love
00:15:24.79\00:15:27.46
that the Lord
has put in my heart
00:15:27.49\00:15:28.82
and sharing words of
encouragement with others.
00:15:28.86\00:15:31.16
Absolutely. Adly,
how about you, Adly?
00:15:31.19\00:15:34.36
What is your definition of love?
00:15:34.36\00:15:38.40
Love encompasses
00:15:38.43\00:15:40.54
every other
virtue that there is.
00:15:40.60\00:15:43.04
Wow. That's true.
00:15:43.07\00:15:44.41
Because love is
patient, because love forgives,
00:15:44.44\00:15:48.31
because love
forgets, because love...
00:15:48.34\00:15:52.05
it's so great that
we forget about self
00:15:52.08\00:15:56.38
in order to make
someone else happy,
00:15:56.42\00:15:59.92
in order to fulfill their needs,
00:15:59.95\00:16:02.42
in order to be able to spend
00:16:02.46\00:16:06.59
50, 52 years together
00:16:06.63\00:16:09.70
and be able to still enjoy
that relationship out of love
00:16:09.73\00:16:14.94
because you have forgiven
each other for so many years,
00:16:14.97\00:16:18.11
because you have learned
00:16:18.14\00:16:19.81
to accept each other
just the way you are,
00:16:19.84\00:16:22.71
and because we understand
that in order to be able
00:16:22.74\00:16:27.78
to love others, we
have to love ourselves.
00:16:27.82\00:16:32.09
Right.
00:16:32.12\00:16:33.46
That is something that,
very seldom, we think of.
00:16:33.49\00:16:36.12
Yes.
00:16:36.16\00:16:37.53
I must love myself in
order to love someone else.
00:16:37.56\00:16:40.10
Yes.
00:16:40.13\00:16:41.43
When I love myself
in the correct way,
00:16:41.46\00:16:44.37
I am able and
willing to love other people.
00:16:44.40\00:16:47.64
Right.
00:16:47.67\00:16:49.00
And that is why Jesus says,
00:16:49.04\00:16:50.37
"Love your
neighbor as yourself."
00:16:50.41\00:16:52.24
Many times in the way we grow,
the way we were brought up,
00:16:52.27\00:16:56.95
we don't love ourselves
because we were mistreated,
00:16:57.01\00:17:00.05
we were abused, and whatnot.
00:17:00.08\00:17:01.62
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:01.65\00:17:02.98
But always, we can come
to the fountain of love,
00:17:03.02\00:17:06.25
which is God,
and He will teach us
00:17:06.29\00:17:08.49
how to love ourselves.
00:17:08.52\00:17:10.06
Yes. And love others.
00:17:10.09\00:17:11.43
Absolutely.
00:17:11.46\00:17:12.79
And I really believe God
00:17:12.83\00:17:14.20
wants us to have
love in our character
00:17:14.23\00:17:17.77
because we are
going to a place of love.
00:17:17.80\00:17:22.80
Heaven is a place of love.
00:17:22.84\00:17:25.44
As a matter of fact,
the servant of God says
00:17:25.47\00:17:27.38
that the law of heaven
is self-renouncing love.
00:17:27.41\00:17:33.25
And that is the kind of love
we need to have in our lives,
00:17:33.28\00:17:37.59
in our character if we
want to live in a place of love.
00:17:37.62\00:17:41.56
Pastor Fleurimond,
00:17:41.59\00:17:43.16
what is your definition of love?
00:17:43.19\00:17:46.46
When I think of love,
I think of selflessness.
00:17:46.49\00:17:49.46
You know, in the Word of
God, it talks about, you know,
00:17:49.50\00:17:53.40
there's no greater love
than one who lays down his life
00:17:53.44\00:17:56.97
for his brethren.
00:17:57.01\00:17:58.41
Yeah.
00:17:58.44\00:17:59.77
So when I think of love,
I just think about the fact
00:17:59.81\00:18:01.34
that God has
called us to be selfless,
00:18:01.38\00:18:03.88
you know, to sacrifice,
00:18:03.91\00:18:07.55
to be able to be like Christ
00:18:07.58\00:18:11.35
in such a way that
when we love others,
00:18:11.39\00:18:13.92
they can see the Christ in us.
00:18:13.99\00:18:15.46
Yes.
00:18:15.49\00:18:16.86
As a matter of fact,
God says that when we love,
00:18:16.89\00:18:20.76
people will know
that we are His disciples.
00:18:20.83\00:18:22.96
Yes. That's right.
00:18:23.00\00:18:24.33
And so I think that
the self-sacrificing type
00:18:24.37\00:18:27.44
of love is what I
would describe love to me is.
00:18:27.47\00:18:31.31
You know, being married
for less than five years now,
00:18:31.34\00:18:35.08
I've learned that
you must be selfless
00:18:35.11\00:18:39.48
in loving your bride.
00:18:39.51\00:18:41.68
Yes. Yes.
00:18:41.72\00:18:43.05
And, my brother, it is
going to be a beautiful lifelong
00:18:43.08\00:18:47.86
learning lesson
of being selfless.
00:18:47.89\00:18:50.53
And that kind of love
will prepare you for heaven,
00:18:50.56\00:18:55.00
no doubt about it.
00:18:55.03\00:18:56.63
My definition of love is love
is when you can choose to be
00:18:56.67\00:19:03.44
at your best
when the other person
00:19:03.47\00:19:07.04
is not at their best.
00:19:07.11\00:19:09.88
It takes love to do
that, and it's a choice.
00:19:09.91\00:19:13.21
You have to
choose to be at your best
00:19:13.25\00:19:16.02
when the other
person is not at their best.
00:19:16.05\00:19:18.62
And another definition,
00:19:18.65\00:19:20.12
which is even
more difficult really,
00:19:20.19\00:19:22.56
love is when what you
want is never important
00:19:22.59\00:19:28.33
and what the other
person needs is paramount,
00:19:28.36\00:19:32.30
what the other
person needs is always,
00:19:32.33\00:19:35.84
and get what I said
now, always more important.
00:19:35.87\00:19:40.18
And the reason
that's my definition
00:19:40.21\00:19:43.18
is because that's
the way God loves us,
00:19:43.21\00:19:47.62
when what we needed
was more important to Him
00:19:47.65\00:19:53.89
than what He wanted.
00:19:53.96\00:19:56.59
You know, He knew
we needed salvation.
00:19:56.62\00:19:59.59
And what we needed
was more important,
00:19:59.63\00:20:01.76
was paramount, and
that's how He loves us.
00:20:01.80\00:20:04.30
And He put what He needed...
00:20:04.33\00:20:08.80
what we needed I
should say, ahead of Himself.
00:20:08.84\00:20:13.14
That's real, real love.
00:20:13.17\00:20:15.54
Now I want to ask you before...
00:20:15.58\00:20:17.01
Yes, I... Go ahead, Adly, yes.
00:20:17.05\00:20:18.91
Go ahead, Adly.
00:20:18.95\00:20:20.38
I like to always say
that when God places the roles
00:20:20.42\00:20:26.42
of the husband and
wives and children,
00:20:26.45\00:20:29.52
He speaks to the husband,
the one and only command
00:20:29.56\00:20:32.89
that He gives to the
husband is love your wife.
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.90
Yes. Yes. Love your wife.
00:20:36.93\00:20:38.80
Yes.
00:20:38.83\00:20:40.17
And He repeats it four
times, "Love your wife.
00:20:40.20\00:20:43.04
Love your wife."
00:20:43.07\00:20:45.07
And then He says, "Love
her to the point of sacrifice."
00:20:45.11\00:20:50.21
In the same way that
Jesus loved us so much
00:20:50.28\00:20:52.91
that He was willing
to sacrifice Himself
00:20:52.95\00:20:55.95
in order to show His
love for us, the husbands,
00:20:55.98\00:20:59.69
and also wives, and brothers,
and sisters, and children
00:20:59.72\00:21:03.46
ought to love others
to the point of sacrifice,
00:21:03.53\00:21:07.76
give up what you
like, what you want in order
00:21:07.76\00:21:11.27
to please the other
person and be a person
00:21:11.30\00:21:15.57
that even though
might not be the person
00:21:15.60\00:21:21.28
you want to love...
00:21:21.31\00:21:22.64
Yes.
00:21:22.68\00:21:24.01
You can love because God
is telling you to love them.
00:21:24.05\00:21:27.08
That's right.
00:21:27.12\00:21:28.45
Because it's easy to
love those that love us,
00:21:28.48\00:21:31.25
but very hard
and almost impossible
00:21:31.29\00:21:34.22
to love someone
that is not loveable.
00:21:34.26\00:21:36.89
"Nevertheless," He said,
"there's nothing important
00:21:36.93\00:21:40.66
in loving those who love you."
00:21:40.70\00:21:42.30
It's, "Love those
that do not love you."
00:21:42.33\00:21:46.07
Yes. Love your enemies.
00:21:46.10\00:21:47.60
Yes. The hard part.
00:21:47.64\00:21:49.00
Yeah, that's what He said.
00:21:49.04\00:21:50.37
"If you really want to be
like Me, love your enemies."
00:21:50.44\00:21:53.41
Yeah.
00:21:53.44\00:21:55.11
Do you think we can
make it to the kingdom of God
00:21:55.14\00:21:59.25
without learning to love?
00:21:59.28\00:22:03.22
Can people who do not
love expect to make it
00:22:03.25\00:22:07.96
into God's kingdom?
00:22:07.99\00:22:09.96
What do you
think, Pastor Fleurimond?
00:22:10.03\00:22:14.63
I don't believe that's possible,
00:22:14.66\00:22:16.00
you know, we're taking...
00:22:16.03\00:22:17.47
If we're going to
take our characters
00:22:17.53\00:22:18.97
with us to heaven...
00:22:19.00\00:22:20.34
Yeah.
00:22:20.40\00:22:21.74
And we want to
be more like Christ,
00:22:21.77\00:22:23.30
it is
impossible to not be loving
00:22:23.37\00:22:26.94
and not to love
and to be in a kingdom
00:22:26.98\00:22:29.24
that is built of love, you know.
00:22:29.28\00:22:30.98
All right. And
so I would say no.
00:22:31.01\00:22:33.58
You know, especially a kingdom,
the laws are built on love,
00:22:33.62\00:22:38.12
love God and
love your fellow men.
00:22:38.15\00:22:40.42
I would say no. Yes. Yes.
00:22:40.46\00:22:41.89
How about you,
JD? What do you think?
00:22:41.92\00:22:45.23
Well, I think
that the contentment
00:22:45.26\00:22:47.23
plays a large part in love.
00:22:47.30\00:22:48.66
Okay.
00:22:48.70\00:22:50.03
If you're truly in
love, then I don't know
00:22:50.10\00:22:52.30
if you'd be content in
heaven if you weren't loving
00:22:52.33\00:22:57.34
because those who are about to
00:22:57.37\00:22:59.41
probably would be
unhappy that you're there.
00:22:59.44\00:23:02.91
Yeah.
00:23:02.94\00:23:04.28
Or maybe not
unhappy but not content
00:23:04.31\00:23:08.25
when you're there.
00:23:08.28\00:23:09.62
Yes.
00:23:09.65\00:23:10.99
And I think love is one of
the most important dimensions
00:23:11.02\00:23:16.56
that prepare us for
resembling, reflecting,
00:23:16.59\00:23:22.70
and revealing
the character of God.
00:23:22.73\00:23:24.57
Amen. Amen.
00:23:24.60\00:23:25.93
And that's what going
to heaven is all about.
00:23:25.97\00:23:28.44
Yes. It is...
00:23:28.47\00:23:29.80
You know, when God
looks at us to decide...
00:23:29.84\00:23:34.38
And because
that's really important,
00:23:34.41\00:23:35.74
a lot of people don't realize.
00:23:35.78\00:23:37.81
Jesus is not only our Savior,
00:23:37.85\00:23:41.42
but He also is our judge.
00:23:41.45\00:23:45.25
And we don't like to
think about it that way,
00:23:45.29\00:23:47.22
but He is not only our
Savior, He is also our judge,
00:23:47.26\00:23:51.03
which means He is going
to be looking at us to see
00:23:51.06\00:23:55.60
how much we look like
Him before we are blessed
00:23:55.63\00:24:00.24
with entrance into His kingdom.
00:24:00.27\00:24:03.94
So we need to pray that
God will give us greater love
00:24:04.01\00:24:08.38
in our own hearts and
greater love for others
00:24:08.41\00:24:12.91
who are not like us.
00:24:12.95\00:24:14.85
Don't you think
that's one of the great needs
00:24:14.88\00:24:16.42
of our church
today and our world today
00:24:16.45\00:24:20.16
to love those who
don't look like you?
00:24:20.19\00:24:22.39
Sister Adly, what do
you think about that?
00:24:22.42\00:24:23.76
Yeah. Yes. Yes.
00:24:23.83\00:24:25.96
I believe that it's so important
00:24:25.99\00:24:29.86
that many times, we as a church,
00:24:29.90\00:24:33.30
are doing our best,
investing a lot of money
00:24:33.34\00:24:37.81
in order to bring
new people to the church.
00:24:37.84\00:24:40.04
Yes.
00:24:40.08\00:24:41.41
And yet when the
meetings are over,
00:24:41.44\00:24:44.75
evangelistic meetings,
00:24:44.78\00:24:46.61
and they are left behind
in the church that is cold,
00:24:46.68\00:24:51.75
that doesn't know
how to embrace them,
00:24:51.79\00:24:54.12
that doesn't know
how to show love to them
00:24:54.16\00:24:57.19
and make them feel accepted
in that new environment,
00:24:57.23\00:25:02.16
many of them choose
to abandon and go back to
00:25:02.20\00:25:05.30
where they were before
because maybe in their church,
00:25:05.33\00:25:08.24
they had more
warmth and more love
00:25:08.27\00:25:10.84
than what they
find in our churches.
00:25:10.91\00:25:12.24
Yeah. Very true. Very true.
00:25:12.27\00:25:13.61
So we need to really
make it a purpose in our life
00:25:13.64\00:25:17.98
to show our love
to those especially
00:25:18.01\00:25:21.75
that are new
comers to our church
00:25:21.78\00:25:23.99
that they will feel welcome,
that they will feel loved,
00:25:24.02\00:25:26.55
that they will feel accepted,
and then they will choose
00:25:26.59\00:25:29.39
to remain in our midst.
00:25:29.42\00:25:31.16
You know, the Lord
says, "By this shall men know
00:25:31.19\00:25:33.90
that ye are My disciples
00:25:33.93\00:25:36.03
if you just show
love one for another."
00:25:36.06\00:25:39.53
Thank you so much.
00:25:39.57\00:25:41.27
It's always great
talking to you all,
00:25:41.30\00:25:43.07
and thank you for
being here with us today.
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.51
The Bible tells us
that we are continually
00:25:49.64\00:25:52.05
to behold Him,
00:25:52.08\00:25:54.02
to meditate on the
grace of His character,
00:25:54.08\00:25:57.89
to contemplate His
love, and by beholding,
00:25:57.92\00:26:02.49
we shall become changed.
00:26:02.52\00:26:05.23
Jesus revealed to the
world in His character
00:26:05.26\00:26:08.90
that God is love.
00:26:08.93\00:26:11.83
The beloved apostle explains,
00:26:11.87\00:26:13.64
"Behold, what manner of love
00:26:13.67\00:26:15.44
the Father hath bestowed upon us
00:26:15.47\00:26:18.17
that we should be
called the sons of God.
00:26:18.21\00:26:21.81
Therefore, the world knoweth
us not because it knew Him not.
00:26:21.84\00:26:26.85
Beloved, now are
we the sons of God,
00:26:26.92\00:26:30.79
and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be
00:26:30.82\00:26:34.56
but we know that
when He shall appear,
00:26:34.59\00:26:38.13
we shall be like Him for
we shall see Him as He is."
00:26:38.16\00:26:45.10
God has placed His
seal of love upon us.
00:26:45.13\00:26:49.24
And because He manifests in
us His own character of love,
00:26:49.27\00:26:54.64
we will see our
Savior face to face.
00:26:54.68\00:26:58.95
Christ is going to
uplift all who want to be lifted
00:26:58.98\00:27:02.65
into companionship with
Him that we may be one with Him
00:27:02.68\00:27:08.06
as He is one with the Father.
00:27:08.09\00:27:10.36
He permits us,
yes, to come in contact
00:27:10.39\00:27:13.83
with suffering and calamity
00:27:13.86\00:27:16.53
in order to call us
out of our selfishness.
00:27:16.56\00:27:20.14
He wants to develop in us
00:27:20.17\00:27:22.54
the attributes of His character.
00:27:22.57\00:27:25.94
Those attributes are compassion.
00:27:25.97\00:27:29.24
He wants us to
develop tenderness.
00:27:29.28\00:27:33.08
He wants us to develop love.
00:27:33.11\00:27:36.99
And those who follow
after Christ will learn
00:27:37.02\00:27:41.86
to love like Christ loved.
00:27:41.89\00:27:45.29
I'm Wintley
Phipps, and remember,
00:27:45.33\00:27:48.23
to be a Christian
means to be Christ-like.
00:27:48.26\00:27:51.00