Author: Cory Dobrowolsky

Is It a Question Without an Answer?

What is the true meaning of love? That’s the question of the ages, right? Philosophers, academics, musicians, poets, and even everyday people have pondered the true meaning of love for centuries upon centuries. They have written countless books about it, they’ve debated it to exhaustion, and they’ve sung endless songs about it. Some people sadly have given up on the concept of “love” altogether. But with all of the reasoning, debate, theorizing, and even disillusionment, nobody has ever settled on a true answer, have they?

It’s now February, and with the coming of Valentine’s Day, some people’s thoughts again come back around to that age-old question and its seemingly elusive solution. But what if we told you that we know the answer? Not only do we know the answer, but we are confident that it is really the one, true meaning of love. Interested? Curious? Desperate for the answer? This month, let’s reason together about the true meaning of love. Actually, the answer to the question “what is love?” is very simple …but very deep.

You Can’t Define Love Without God

In pursuit of the true meaning of love, we first must adjust our initial question. To find the right answer, we have to realize that the question shouldn’t be “what is love?” The correct question to ask really is “who is love?” When we ask this question, we find the answer in the truth of the Bible. 1 John 4:8b simply tells us, “… for God is love.” We simply can’t define love without God because God is love. God designed true love, and so, God defines true love. This is the reason that the world experiences so much trouble in discovering the true meaning of love. It is because many people have rejected God in their lives. They are trying to solve the problem while ignoring the real solution. Again, you can’t define love without God.

So what is the love of God? How can we understand it? When we discuss the concept of love, we are slightly at a loss with the English language. There are many different kinds of love, such as romantic love, familial love, the love of friends, and more. However, we only have the word “love” to encompass them all. In the Greek language, there are different words to define different concepts of love. For example, the word “eros” means romantic love, and the word “philia” means deep friendship or brotherly love. The Greek word “agape” defines the love of God. It means the greatest, deepest love of all. This is an unconditional, unending love for everyone, including you. In fact, God’s love is so deep and so unconditional that nothing will ever cause Him to stop loving you. The Bible states in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But love is more than words, right? True love reveals itself through actions. So how did God reveal His great love for us? Let’s go back to the Bible. Jesus tells us this in John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” God loves you so much that He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” As well, 1 John 4:10 tells us, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God loves you so much that He gave up His Son for you. Jesus loves you so much that He willingly came to die for you, “… for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). That truly is the greatest love.

So faced with such a great display of love toward us, how do we show our love for Jesus? We show it through our actions; more specifically, by obeying Him. 1 John 5:3 tells us, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

All Other Love is an Extension of God’s Love

What about our love toward other people? How do we love our spouses? Our parents? Our children? Our friends? Since God is love, it is His definition of love that must govern all other love and relationships in our lives. As Christians, we try to live by Jesus’ example. So He calls us to love everybody the way He did – sacrificially and not just in our words, but in actions. 1 John 3:18 states, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” This exemplifies how husbands love their wives, how wives love their husbands, how siblings love each other, how parents love their children, and how friends love each other. Will we love perfectly? Not at all. We are not perfect people, just forgiven. But every day, we can try to follow God’s wisdom in Philippians 2:3, “…let each esteem other better than themselves.”

You know, it’s relatively easy to love somebody, though, when they love you back. But what does God say about loving those who don’t love you, even those who may viciously hate you? Certainly, Jesus doesn’t expect us to love them, right? Again, let’s see what the Bible says. In Matthew 5:44-45, Jesus tells us, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Jesus even wants us to love our enemies. Easier said than done, right? But we are to love them because God loves them. We need to see them the way that God sees them. He sees them just like He sees us, people He loves, so much so that He sent Jesus to shed His blood and die for them, too.

We Love You, and We Want You to Experience the Love of Jesus

Maybe this concept of God’s love is new to you. Maybe you’ve never considered that God defines love and has the deepest, purest, and greatest love for you. Here at the R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, we love you, and we want you to experience the greatest love of all, a love that will change your life. We want you to experience the love of Jesus.

It is true that God loves you, but your sins separate you from Him, not just now, but forever. Sadly, there is nothing you can do yourself to repair that relationship with Him, because of those same sins. But Jesus loves you so much that He came here from Heaven, took your sins as His own, and died on the cross to fully pay the sin debt you owed. Through that, Jesus now offers eternal life to you as a gift. All you have to do to receive it is trust Him alone and ask Him to save you. Then you can experience the great love of Jesus Christ, too!

The R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, offers excellent, compassionate Christian child care and tutoring. Call us today at (540) 267-3000 for more information on our services. Discover how you can have a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and the true meaning of love.

Make This Year the Year That You Start to Live Your Life for Jesus

Are you looking for new beginnings for 2021? This past year has presented new – and sometimes very difficult – challenges for everyone, and many people may be very excited to see the calendar flip to an entirely new year. This can be their chance to write a new chapter in their story, despite whatever has occurred throughout the United States and the world. They may have personal goals for themselves, like losing weight. They may have professional goals for their business or financial success. Whatever they aim for, many people will start 2021 by making resolutions. To make a “resolution” means that they resolve to do something: something different, something new, something to improve their lives. Sadly, many of those resolutions, for many reasons, will fall flat and fade away after a couple of days or a couple of weeks.

One new beginning for this new year, though, that is very possible – and that everyone should aim for – is to come closer to Jesus Christ and live the way that God wants them to live. In fact, that is our prayer here at the R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA. We pray that people all across the New River Valley will make decisions to live for Jesus Christ in 2021 and follow through with them.

It’s an old saying, but it’s a true saying: God’s way is the best way. It’s the best way for everyone to live. It’s where they will find true joy and true peace, no matter what is going on in their own lives or in the world around them. Many of those resolutions we’ve already mentioned fail because we attempt to complete them in our own limited strength and wisdom. But when we decide to live for Jesus, we can always be successful. Our success here comes when we fully rely on God for His strength and wisdom to follow through. In the Bible, Proverbs 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” But it all must begin with our personal decision to follow Jesus, no matter what. In Daniel 1:8, Daniel “purposed in his heart” to follow God. God blessed Daniel’s decision, and He will bless your decision for Him, too.

Get Rid of Bad Habits, Sins, and Time Wasters

One thing that God wants us to do in our lives is to rid ourselves of bad habits and sinful thoughts and actions. These “strongholds” will only cause destruction and sorrow for us, while pulling us away from Jesus. This is a good place to start for a new beginning in the new year. The Bible states in 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

First of all, how do we identify these sins, bad habits, and strongholds in our lives? Don’t just trust your heart to tell you what is right and wrong. We can rationalize anything and everything. God’s Word tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You will need God’s help. He is the Supreme Judge of right and wrong, and He wants to help you. When you ask Him to show you what is wrong in your life, He will.

As God identifies these habits and sins for us, we then need to purpose in our hearts to walk away from them. But that’s easier said than done, right? Some addictions, bad habits, and sins have tight grips. This is where we need God’s strength. If God helps you identify the sin in your life, He will certainly help you get rid of it. He loves you and wants the best for you. How many people have, with good intentions, determined to clean up their lives, only to fall back into the same traps again and again? Maybe you are one of them. Jesus can give you His strength to conquer these habits, sins, and strongholds in your life. All you have to do is trust Him and lean on Him.

Another area in your life that you should examine as you think about a new beginning in the new year is “time wasters.” These are things that aren’t necessarily sins or bad habits, but in excess, they can waste our time and hinder our walk with Jesus. These can be things such television, streaming platforms, video games, iPhones, and social media. Are you spending hours upon hours scrolling through your preferred social media platform or playing a video game console? These “time wasters” can be detrimental to our relationship with Jesus, as well as our relationships with family and friends. You can ask God for help in this area, too. The Bible tells in Hebrews 12:1 to “… lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

Incorporating Good Habits to Fill the Void

One way to ensure our success when removing sins, strongholds, and bad habits from our lives is to fill the void they leave with good, godly habits. Jesus wants us to do this. If we don’t fill that empty space with something else, we will be more likely to return to what we just left. Some things we can do to help us avoid falling back into the same traps while fostering our relationship with Jesus Christ are reading and studying the Bible more, praying more, and finding, regularly attending, and getting involved in a good church.

The same principle applies as we try to limit the “time wasters” in our lives. Fill the void with good habits. Put down the remote control or iPhone, and pick up a good book. Spend more time outside enjoying God’s creation. Take up a hobby that exercises both your brain and your skill. Find something that will make you grow as a person, not just tread water.

Remember, this may not be easy, but it will be worth it. This will take much more than just a choice; it will take some discipline on your part. But God wants you to grow as a Christian and as a person, and as we said before, you will find true joy and true peace when you follow God’s plan for your life. Remember what the Bible states in Philippians 3:13-14, “… this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

This Year, Make the Best Decision of All

Remember this one thing above all, however: You can only accomplish everything we have previously discussed by first having a relationship with Jesus Christ. How is that possible? This is the most important fact you will ever read: In yourself, your sins separate you from God, but Jesus loved you so much that He came from Heaven, took your sins as His own, and paid the debt you owed for them by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. He then rose from the dead three days later to give you victory over death. He now offers eternal life and a relationship with God to anyone who will trust Him and ask Him to save them, including you. As you think about new beginnings in this new year, make the best decision you could ever make. Trust Jesus to be your Savior. Talk about new beginnings for 2021!

We pray everyone has a blessed new year! The R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, offers exceptional, compassionate Christian child care and tutoring. For more information, or to find out how you can have a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ, call us today at (540) 267-3000.

It is a Wonderful Time, But Please Remember the Real Focus

For many, the Christmas season is a special, almost magical, time. It’s exactly as countless people perennially sing in the old carol, “… the most wonderful time of the year.” Houses boast beautiful Christmas trees among a multitude of decorations, with a backdrop of white, fluffy snow falling outside their windows. Families traditionally sing carols together, while wrapping presents and baking delicious Christmas cookies. Kids (and parents, too!) enjoy reveling in tales of the characters associated with Christmas, such as Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman.

But somewhere along the way, many have forgotten, or even willfully abandoned, the real reason for Christmas: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” So reads the first verse of the second chapter of Luke’s Gospel in the Bible, and so begins the story of the first Christmas, the arrival of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

At its true core, Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the promised Messiah from God. Jesus was “made flesh and dwelt among us,” as the Bible also says in John 1:14. So as Christmas arrives once again this year, make Jesus Christ a priority in your celebrations and, most importantly, in your entire life.

But what exactly happened on that first Christmas?

Prophecy Proclaimed

Well, like any great story, we have to go back to the beginning … in this case, the very beginning of the world. The Bible says in Genesis 1:1 that “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” At creation’s crescendo, after making the sun, the moon, the trees and plants, and animals, God spoke humans into existence, created in His image. Adam and Eve were the first man and woman, but they disobeyed God. Through that disobedience, sin entered into the world and separated Adam and Eve – and their offspring – from the Heavenly Father. But even as God pronounced judgment on man and nature, He also promised a coming Savior, a provision to pay the price for that sin and redeem mankind. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Throughout ensuing history, God continued to remind people in many ways that a Redeemer would come. He spoke through prophets for thousands of years. These Old Testament preachers would ask people to turn back to God and to watch for the coming Messiah. The Bible says in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

God even told man where the Messiah would be born and the very circumstances of His birth. The Bible says in Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” And in Isaiah 7:14, the Bible says: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

There are hundreds of other prophecies throughout the Old Testament all pointing to the coming Redeemer, building to the very event. It was the centerpiece of all history, but it actually arrived with very little fanfare and celebration.

Prophecy Fulfilled

That day may have begun as any other day. A woman named Mary was working around her house. She was a young virgin anticipating her coming marriage to a young man named Joseph. But something much more special was about to happen to her. An angel visited her and gave her a message from God: “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” (Luke 1:30-31) The angel also visited Joseph to give him God’s good news, too, that Mary was pregnant with the promised Messiah.

She was ready to give birth when that taxation decree we mentioned above came from Rome. The couple had to travel to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem to participate in this census. When they arrived, however, every inn throughout town was full. But one of the innkeepers allowed Joseph and Mary to stay in his stable with the animals. That night, the Bible says in Luke 2:6-7, “…the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

The Messiah came, but it wasn’t in a palace or a grand hotel. It was in a simple stable, in a trough full of hay for the sheep, goats, and cows. And while the angels celebrated in the skies over Bethlehem, humanity’s only other witnesses to the birth of the Savior were some simple shepherds who came and worshiped the promised Redeemer.

He Came to Die on the Cross

That baby, born long ago, was fully God and fully man, and He had one purpose in coming: To redeem all of mankind from our sins. You see, our sin has a price, and that price is death. It is not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which means separation from God for all of eternity. But Jesus Christ came to take our place in punishment as our substitute. He died on the cross to pay that price and rose again from the dead to give us victory over death. Think about it: God loved you so much that He sent His Son to die for you. The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Jesus isn’t just a good man who only told people to love each other. He is the perfect Son of God, and he shed His blood and died for you. He provides everlasting life to anyone who trusts Him and asks Him in prayer to save them. That’s the Christmas story: The Son of God loved you so much that He came as a man to take your punishment for your sins and give you eternal life. That’s a reason for celebrating!

So as you celebrate this Christmas, with your tree, your Christmas cookies, your carols, and your presents, please don’t lose sight of the real “reason for the season”: Jesus Christ.

We wish everyone a very blessed and merry Christmas! The R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, offers outstanding and compassionate Christian child care and tutoring. For more information, or to find out how you can have a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ, call us today at (540) 267-3000.

God Wants Us To Have a Thankful Heart All of the Time

It’s now November, and with its arrival comes thoughts of Thanksgiving. To many people, that means a big turkey dinner, family and friends gathered around a table, and maybe, just maybe, some fleeting memories about seemingly ancient pictures of some pilgrims in big hats, some Native Americans, and a cornucopia.

But Thanksgiving is more than just filling yourself with turkey, mashed potatoes, and other delicious dishes and falling asleep on the couch. It is so much more than “Turkey Day,” and sadly, many miss its purpose and its significance by a wide margin. Throughout its rich history, the Thanksgiving celebration was set apart as a day where people solely focused on giving thanks to God for His many blessings in their lives. Simply put, Thanksgiving is about being truly thankful.

But honestly, God doesn’t set just one day aside for us to be thankful. He wants us to be thankful every day, all year long. Whether we are having a “good day” or a “bad day,” a “good year” or a “bad year,” we should always give thanks. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

How is that possible, though? It’s very easy to be thankful when things are going good for someone, when they are healthy, when their bank account is full, and when they are happy. But how can someone give thanks when it seems that life itself is falling down around them?

Thankfulness is a Choice

Thankfulness, even in bad times, is possible because thanksgiving is a choice we make. It’s an attitude we consciously adopt every day in our lives. It’s not a feeling we have; it’s a decision we make.

To that statement, you may reply, “No. I’m just not built like that. That’s not a part of my personality. I’ve never really been like that.” That’s really not your in-born personality, though; it’s actually because you’ve made a choice to be that way. Every single day, we have a choice to be thankful or ungrateful, as we embrace either the positives or the negatives in our lives. That certainly can be a hard choice, though. Some circumstances can be extenuating, heavy, and awful, and we are definitely not minimizing emotional or mental health issues.

But even in the middle of a storm, we can all choose to be thankful. It’s all about changing your mind and deciding to be thankful, even despite the circumstances of a day or a month or a year. The Bible says in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” There are no modifiers in that verse. Always “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” and “be ye thankful,” not only if you are having a good day, not only if the car starts, not only if your boss doesn’t yell at you. “Let” and “be,” no matter what.

What If There’s Nothing to Be Thankful For?

We’re sure some, if not many, people would ask, “What if I have nothing to be thankful for?” Some may even ask, “How can I be thankful in the middle of this pandemic, with everything going on in the United States and around the world?”

The answer to those questions is, “There is always something to be thankful for.” Did you wake up this morning? Were you able to take a breath? Do you still have your health? Do you have a roof over your head and food on your table? There are always things for which you can be grateful when you start looking.

That someone would even consider those questions reveals a speed bump in their thought process. There is an old hymn that says, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one.” How has God blessed you today? Are you dwelling on thoughts of those blessings or on the negatives of your circumstances? The Bible says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Change your thinking.

We Can’t Consistently Be Thankful on Our Own, Though

Seems like a daunting task, right? To choose a grateful attitude every day? To be thankful, even when things are going bad? We’ll let you in on a little secret: It is daunting. In fact, it’s impossible. You will fail. But the Bible says in Mark 10:27, “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Once we decide that we want to be thankful, we need to rely on God for His help and His strength to have that attitude of thanksgiving. When you pray, ask God to make you grateful. It’s a basic fact of life: No matter what we choose to do, we need God’s strength to do it. And our Heavenly Father wants to give us that strength. The Bible says in Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Simply, God wants you to be thankful, and He wants to give you that attitude and the power to maintain it. You just have to choose to take the first step toward consistent thanksgiving. And as you consciously choose daily to embrace a pattern of thankful thinking through God’s strength, it will become easier and easier.

But to tap into God’s strength, you first must have a relationship with God. How can you have a relationship with Him? The Bible says in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is the key to creating a true relationship with God. Jesus died on the cross to take the due punishment for the sins of the entire world, including yours. He rose again to conquer death, and He offers eternal life to anyone who trusts Him and calls out to Him to be saved. He opens the door to God, to Heaven, and to all the benefits of having that relationship with Him, including His strength.

Sounds like something to be very thankful for, right?

We are thankful for you! The R.O.C.K. Club in Radford, VA, offers outstanding and compassionate Christian child care and tutoring. Call us today at (540) 267-3000.