Love Abundantly

by Frank DeZurik

Note from our ministry president, Jason DeZurik: My father passed into glory in April 2025. Thanks to the graciousness and love of my mother, Judy DeZurik, I have been blessed to have received many of his writings while he was in this world. The following is from his personal journal.

So, we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
- Hebrews 13:6-8

Loving abundantly, even though this is my desire, is an impossibility if Jesus Christ is not a part of... NO! HE IS THE part of love.

To love those who have hurt you, are hurting you, or anyone who is making decisions that remove themselves and family members from a fellowship where God’s hand is working has always raised the hair on the back of my neck.

Reasons given go like this:
Well, it’s time my children need to go to this other fellowship and... they need, you know, Mom and Dad’s support, you know, we’re really torn as to whether to move or not.

The real reasons are that someone has hurt them in some way by word, by action, or by decisions that were made that were not in line with their wishes. The Church didn’t accommodate their own personal ideas or thoughts, based on self-centeredness.

Many of us give major lip service to Jesus Christ when we say things like, “This is my life and my soul,” and then shut Him out in decision-making that we do. When will we ever learn that the grass on the other side of the fence is greener only until we set foot on the other side and look back to discover that now where we came from is greener? You would think we might catch on at some point in our lives, but we just continue seeing the other side as greener, and we move to discover again how green it is where we came from.

Catching on would be to see that we need to have our inner man completely renovated by the Holy Spirit and allow Him to undue all things, not just a few things, all of our self-centeredness.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
- 1 Peter 3:3-4

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
- 1 Peter 3:8

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