I No Longer

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Remember yesterday’s verse, and lesson?

Once we accept Christ as savior, our sin nature dies, and His new nature lives.  Of course we have old habits and thoughts that we have to change and take captive, but our nature is now to live as Christ lived – in sacrificial love for others.

God so loved the world that he gave his only son to die for me.  Recognize that verse?

God didn’t die for me just so I could be set free, but that the whole world could be set free.  He didn’t die for me just so I could escape the penalty of death, but that the whole world might live as well.

Christ lives in us.  Therefore, the life we now live is now geared for a life of love. We have all the gear (equipment) we need to live life loving others. 

We have the knowledge of the truth, we have His mercy that covers sin, we have grace to extend toward others, and we have the power that raised him from the dead living in us.

What more do we need, in order to love?

It's Simple

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

We all want to know our purpose in life.

 

God tells us to love Him and love others.

Here we are told to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly.

To act justly is to do what is morally right.  Christ in us enables us to do this.

To love mercy is to extend forgiveness to those that have hurt us, and Christ in us enables us to do this.

To walk humbly means to put others above ourselves.  Christ in us enables us to do this.

God requires this of us because He gave his Son for us, so that Christ in us gives us hope and power.

Power for what?

To fulfill our purpose here on earth.

Love Deeply

I Peter 1: Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Sincere, deep love – how does that differ from insincere, shallow love?

The first part of this verse says “now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth.”

In other words, when we come to Christ and experience forgiveness for our own sins, we should then in turn forgive others, as Christ forgave us.

Insincere, shallow love is the kind that walks away when offenses occur, or when thoughts move in, and questions arise about those with whom we serve. 

But when offenses occur and questioning starts up, because of the truth that we too are sinners, saved by grace, we then are able to obey Jesus’ command to love others, as we love ourselves.

Let’s pray for sincere, deep love…from a heart that is clean.

Consider This

^{Hebrews 10:24} And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…

Have you ever run in a marathon?  I have not, and I don’t plan to, but I can imagine that if did, I would hope there were people along the way offering me water, cheering me on, and waiting for me at the finish line.

We need each other.  We need to be “spurred” toward love and good deeds.

How do we do that for each other? 

When we love someone by giving of our time, our money, or our talents to bless them, it’s like handing a runner an energy drink.  If that runner is tired, wounded, or about to leave the track, that extra boost keeps them in the race.

Even if Valentine’s Day isn’t your “thing” or you think it’s just another holiday for commercial gain, at least give a thought on that day of how you can love someone who needs it. 

In doing so, you might just keep them in the race, running to the very end, instead of falling short of that final goal.

As Yourself

Galatians 5 says…For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.

This is impossible to do, alone.  We aren’t born loving our neighbors as ourselves.  We are born wanting food and drink, we want to pinch and pull, and we want to scream and get our way.  If you have children, you know what I mean.

As we show our children love through nurturing them, modeling loving acts, speaking our love to them, and pointing them towards the love of God, they begin to respond in like manner.

As we grow in our relationship with the Giver of Life, the one who gave his all, we are then able to love others.

Outside of that relationship, we might like others and enjoy them when they meet our needs and expectations, but we will then discard them when they don’t. 

It’s easy to spot adults who never received the good love of a father, because they are still screaming, pushing, and pinching.  We recently were the recipient of an act of anger in a theater, when I unknowingly kicked the back of the chair of a person in front of me.  She got up and sat behind my husband and I, and rammed our seats with her feet, calling me a horrible name.

I’m sad that the lady wasn’t able to politely tell me I kicked her chair, or that she wasn’t able to ignore what I did and move on, but I’m also quite acutely aware that she most likely was treated the same way herself, and it’s the only way she knew to react.

How we react to others, how we respond to their needs, and how we demonstrate the love of God, is paramount to life as a Christian.  

Strive For It

II Corinthians 13 … Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Wow, this is a tall order, and sometimes downright difficult.

Restoration is hard, especially when a friendship is broken.  And restoration takes two…or does it?

We can be restored in our own hearts, regardless of how the other person reacts.  When God (who is love) resides in our hearts, his peace will enable us to be restored, even if the person with whom restoration is sought refuses to respond.

When we are of one mind and at peace with the Lord, he can enable us to love sincerely, to encourage those we love, and to be restored in our hearts.

None of these things depends on the reaction of the other person.

Is a relationship broken today?  Strive for restoration.

But if that restoration is not a two-way street, then live in peace.

There were many who scoffed Jesus, threw insults at him, and literally betrayed him. However, he laid down his life for them all, because his Father loved even those who rejected him,  desiring that they too know his love.

Sincere Love

Romans 12 says,  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Don’t you hate insincere “love?” When someone is doting on you, bringing you gifts, flattering you with kind words, all for the sake of getting something for themselves, it stinks…doesn’t it?  

Sincere love, however, the kind that shows up on your doorstep in the form of a basket of goodies with no name attached is sincere.  Nothing is expected in return, the only thing desired is for you to feel loved.

Right after we are told in these verses that love must be sincere, we are also told to hate evil and hold onto good.  Insincere love is evil. Being devoted to each other is good.

Honoring someone above yourself is good.

Keeping your spiritual fervor (intense passion) is good.

The only way to love sincerely is to be loved sincerely by Jesus. 

When we are secure in the knowledge that Jesus loves us, we have no problem extending that love toward others.

Is your love sincere?  His love is.  And he loves you.