Tuesday, March 3, 2009

What Are You Doing with Love?

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8).

Spiritual development and love go hand in hand. There is no spiritual growth without growth in love. When you live in love your live out of your relationship with the Father, you release the atmosphere of heaven around you.

Love and faith are the atmosphere of the kingdom of God. When we walk in love, all that God has becomes available to us, and His power is available to work on our behalf. Unbelief, strife, and fear, are the atmosphere of the kingdom of darkness.

Seek to develop the love of God in your life every single day. Don’t let a day go by without developing in love. Listen to 1 Corinthians 14:1 in the Amplified:
Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire this love [make it your aim, your great quest]. Paul reminds us: But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14). The debt we owe to every person is a debt of love: Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10).

Notice also the great commandment of life that Jesus gave to us: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

ALL of our problems in life in general and with our relationships spring out of disobedience to these two laws of love. If I love the Father with all of my mind, all of my emotions, with all my willpower, with all my physical body, then I’m not going to do anything that offends my relationship with Him! I must harness my thoughts to honor Him, my feelings to bow to His Word, my will to yield to His will revealed in the Word, and my body to submit to His standards. So when I miss it in any area of life, I can boil it down to a lack of love! If I love my neighbor as much as I love myself, then I will do nothing to harm him.

Jesus gave us a new commandment to live by that should be our greatest witness to the world. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

Everything else that we esteem as important must bow to the commandment of love. Put love first in every relationship. Make loving God your major life priority! Loving the Father is shown by obeying Him by obeying the Word! Watch your love walk today!

1 comment:

  1. Pastor Mitch... I consider this to be the foundation to everyday living. I ask myself several times "Check your love walk Bobby."

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