02.16.10

Posted in Bible at 10:14 am by Administrator

Now that we have received the love of God and have been reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, the first thing many of us want to do is show God how much we love Him. But do we really love Him? I know we say it with words because we feel that throbbing in our hearts & that swell in our spirits when we think of His love for us, but do we really love Him? Brethren, the love of God is more than words alone.

1 John 4:20-21 says “ If anyone says ‘ I love God’ , yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. He has given us this command : Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Are we walking in discord amongst our brethren and still professing to have this burning love for God. Do we stir discord amongst our brethren? Do we keep malice, get easily angered, gossip? Do we defame others, slander? Are we discourteous, haughty, conceited, vengeful? Do we lie to each other, say hurtful things to each other, steal from each other? If we still engage in any of these, then we are not walking in the true love of God.

The question probably arises that- we are human, so how is it possible to not, at any time or another, do or feel even one thing that may not be pleasing to God? The answer is that it is not possible. However, we can ask ourselves this: how comfortable are we with these “transgressions” that we are committing? Are we giving ourselves allowances of maybe, say – 1 sin a day- or something like that, that’s not so bad right? When we find making excuses for sin- that is when a problem has risen. When we justify doing the things that are not pleasing to God- that is when we have allowed the sinful nature to have the upper hand.

Romans 12: 9 says “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.” Loving God means hating anything that is contrary to His will and loving the things that please Him, such as obeying His commandments and loving our brethren as we love ourselves. Verse 10 of Romans 12 says “ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Verses 13-21 of the same chapter gives suggestions on exactly how to do this.

There is a common saying- actions speak louder than words. We cannot just talk about being empathic, patient, hospitable, polite, generous, charitable, selfless, kind, compassionate and peace-loving, we have to actually do these things. We have to be these things. Because we are ambassadors of Christ and we are His representatives here on earth, we have to be diligent in making sure that we are reflecting Him not just in our speech, but in our actions at all times. Every day, every moment that we are in the company of others is an opportunity to win souls for Christ, and many of those opportunities will occur without us even saying one word. We will be merely observed on some occasions, and on others, it is the recipients of our actions that will take note, but no matter what it is that we do on the outside, it is the sincerity of our actions that God sees.

Colossians 3:12-14 says “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

May the Lord give us the ability to yield to His spirit that enables us to walk in the way that our Lord Jesus Christ mapped out for us so that our lives serve as a testament of our love for Him.

Share your thoughts that you might encourage your brethren.

In Christ,
The handmaid at His feet.

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