What is love? It can be many
different things, depending on what type of love we are talking about. There is
erotic or romantic love, and then there is friendship (companionship or
brotherly) love, and I believe there is also a special kind of love a parent
has for a child, and then there is God-like love.
God-like (agape) love stands
above all the rest, for it is unselfish, self-sacrificing, forgiving,
compassionate, tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, truthful, faithful, and pure,
etc. It does no harm to its neighbor. And, it prefers what God prefers, i.e.
what is moral, just, righteous and holy.
The Lord Jesus led me to read
Ephesians 5 (Select vv. ESV).
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
Did you know that when we put
our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, to be Lord and Savior of our lives, that
we are, thus, created by God to be like God (in his likeness) in true
righteousness and holiness? Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us in order that
we might become the righteousness of God. And, He called us to be holy, i.e.
separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed to
the likeness of Christ.
In other words, we were saved
and called to be like Jesus Christ, who is LOVE, in all that we do.
Did you also know that when
we believe in Jesus Christ, that we die with Christ to sin, and that we are resurrected
with Christ to newness of life, to be lived to his righteousness? And, that we
then walk (conduct our lives) now according to the Spirit, and no longer
according to the flesh? And, did you also know that the Bible teaches that IF
we walk (in lifestyle) according to the flesh (our sinful passions) that we do
not have the hope of eternal life with God? It is critically important that we
understand these truths.
Jesus did not save us from
our sins so that we would continue in them without conscience, without guilt
and without remorse. He set us free from the power that sin and Satan had over
our lives, so that we could now be slaves to his righteousness. Being born
again means the old life has been done away with and that we now live and walk
in the power of God’s Spirit living within us. We walk in love, which means to
walk in the Spirit, and to walk in holiness, righteousness, purity and
obedience to our Lord.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness
must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no
filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but
instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone
who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater),
has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the
sons of disobedience.
Wow! How I wish that the
church in America would get this. It just breaks my heart to see so many
professing Christians living in immorality, in lifestyle, and without
conscience that what they are doing is wrong, or without the fear of God in
their hearts, so that they think they can continue on in their immorality and
that God will do nothing about it. They think that because he hasn’t done
anything yet, that it means he won’t do anything.
But, Jesus said that if we
want to come after him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow
(obey) him. And, he said that if we hold on to our lives (of living for sin and
self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives for his sake
(die to sin and self), then we have eternal life with God. And, Paul reiterated
this when he said that if we walk according to the flesh, that we will die in
our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh,
then we will live with Christ for eternity.
Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one
time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of
light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful
works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of
the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light,
it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it
says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise
from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
We, as followers of Christ,
are not to be partners with those who are living immoral, impure and
disobedient lifestyles, i.e. with those who regularly practice such sins. A
partner is an associate, supporter or an accomplice (assistant). And, to
partner with someone means to join and to unite with him. We are not to do any
of that with immoral and idolatrous people.
We are not to willfully
participate in immorality or impurity or idolatry in any form. And, we are not
to hang out with people who do, for they are likely to influence us to disobey
God in these areas, too. For, bad company corrupts good character. So, we need
to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
And, I believe this includes
not allowing ourselves to be entertained by what is immoral, impure, wicked or
idolatrous, either, via TV, movies, music, the internet, or video games, and
the like. There should not even be a hint of such things in our lives. Instead,
we should expose such things.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as
wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do
not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get
drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for
everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting
to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Willfully and habitually
sinning against Almighty God is just plain stupid. It is wrong, it is harmful
to ourselves and others, and it destroys our relationships with God and with
other humans. And, if this is how we choose to live our lives, it will result
in death (not eternal life with God).
There is no true peace or joy
when we are living out of fellowship with God. All these idols of the flesh
will never satisfy the deep longings of our souls, which only God can truly
satisfy. We will come up empty every time, and only wanting more and more of
what is going to destroy us, and then going deeper and deeper into depravity. And,
for what? A temporary fix? It is not worth it! I guarantee you. In the end, you
will wish you had listened to the truth, and to reason.
Instead of living to please
our flesh, which is a total act of selfishness, we need to walk in the Spirit,
be filled with the Spirit, and be loving others and loving God with God-like
love, which is self-sacrificial, and which cares deeply about those who are
trapped in sin’s deceitfulness, and about those who have been wounded by the
sins of others. It does no harm to its neighbor, but it reaches out to help, to
heal, to forgive and to restore.
Do You Love Me?
An Original Work / July 24,
2013
Do you love Me now?
Will you seek My face?
I have given you
My love and My grace.
Will you walk with Me
Ev’rywhere I lead?
Will you find in Me
All of what you need?
Won’t you meet with Me
Down upon your knees?
Will you obey Me,
And do what I please?
Will you hear My voice
Speaking now to you?
I am couns’ling you
To abide in truth.
I have died for you;
Taken all your sins –
Crucified with Me,
You have been forgiv’n.
I have set you free
From your slavery,
So that you can now
Live in victory.
Sunday, January 7, 2018, 7:24
p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from your word. Help us to love
others and you like you love us. Amen!
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