Love One Another
Romans 13:8-10 ESV
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one 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 covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
To love one another with this kind of love is to prefer what
God prefers, to like what he likes, and to choose his choices for us. And what
God prefers is that we die with him daily to sin and to self, and that we walk
in his righteousness and holiness, and that we love one another with his love.
This kind of love is not like human love. It is not dependent
on the one loved being lovable (in our eyes). We love others as Jesus loves us,
and he died for us while we were yet sinners, while we were still his enemies. He
didn’t love us because we are lovable, but because he is love.
Since this love comes from God, because he is love, this
love will be rooted in holiness, righteousness, moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness.
Therefore, when we love others with this kind of love, we will not willfully
sin against them. We will not cheat on, lie to, betray, or lead others to sin.
So, this kind of love will in no way encourage or help or
ignore deliberate, willful, habitual, and premeditated sinning against God
coming from those who profess to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their
lives. It will speak the truth in love, and it will help a brother/sister to
come out of sin.
This love is also not self-seeking. It seeks out what is for
the good of others. It considers what is best for them, as God determines “best,”
not as humans do. So, when we love with this love, we willingly lay down our
lives and our reputations to love others as God loves us and gave himself up
for us.
And why did Jesus die on that cross for us? He died that we
might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died, too,
that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for
us. And he shed his blood to buy us back for God (to redeem us) so that we
would now honor God with our lives (and with our bodies).
So, if we are loving others as Jesus loved (and loves) us,
we will be concerned about their walks of faith in Jesus Christ, that they know
the Lord, and that they are living free from slavery to sin, and that they are
walking in faithful obedience to our Lord, which is for their good. And we will
care about their physical needs, as well.
Time to Wake Up!
Romans 13:11-14 ESV
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Those who are outside of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are
spiritually asleep, but sometimes (or often now days) Christians can drift off
to sleep spiritually, as well, and need to be reawakened. They get lazy about
their walks of faith, and they get entrapped by the world again.
They cease to love as Jesus loves us, and they wander off to
living again in immorality, in indecency, in faithlessness, in selfishness, and
in worldliness, entertaining and being entertained, with little regard for
their own spiritual lives or for the spiritual lives of others.
I see this much on social media where so many Christians are
talking just like the world about the things of the world, and they are not
talking about Jesus or sharing his gospel or showing concern for their own
walks of faith or those of their fellow Christians. It is more about just
having fun.
And they are not loving others with the love of God because
they are not showing concern for the spiritual walks of others. But many of
them are sinning against others via lying, cheating, adultery, hating,
gossiping, backbiting, unforgiving, mocking, and slandering others.
But we must realize here what the Scriptures teach about our
salvation. We aren’t saved (once) and then we live, and then we die and go to
heaven. We must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh if
we want to be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God.
So, if you have wandered far from the purity of your
devotion to the Lord, or if you have never died with Christ to sin, and if you
have never walked in obedience to his commands, and thus you are living to
please your flesh, and not God, please know that a confession of Christ as
Savior is not alone going to get you entry into God’s heaven.
For, if you sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit you
will reap eternal life. But if you sow to please the flesh, from the flesh you
will reap destruction. If you walk according to the Spirit, you will have
eternal life, but if you walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh,
you will die in your sins.
So, it is time to WAKE UP! If you are living for the sinful
pleasures of your flesh, it will not end well for you, no matter what you profess
with your lips. It is time to put to death what is earthly in you. You must die
with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and live to him and to his
righteousness if you want to have the hope of eternal life with God.
The Christian life is not just about getting our sins
forgiven so we go to heaven when we die. It is about Jesus Christ’s life being
lived in us and out through us for the glory and praise of God. It is about us
being surrendered to Jesus Christ, him being our Lord (master), and us
following him in obedience to his will for our lives.
Jesus Christ is now to be our lives, and our lives are to be
lived for him according to his will and purpose for our lives. Our lives are no
longer our own, to be lived however we want, for Jesus bought us back for God that
we would now honor God with our lives and do his will.
[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6;
1 Jn 3:7; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]
He
Gives Purpose
An
Original Work / June 9, 2012
“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.
Obey freely My word.
Follow Me in all of My ways.
Do all that I say.
Hear Me gently whisper to you
My will for your life and future.
Give all of your life and heart to
Follow Me always.”
Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.
He’s your Lord and Master.
He died for your sins so you could
Live with Him today.
He has a plan for your life and
He gives purpose and direction.
He gives meaning to your life,
So follow Him today.
“I love you so much I gave My life for
You to walk in My ways,
Living for Me each day as you
Bow to Me and pray.
Witness for Me of your love for Me and
Of My grace and mercy,
How I died to save you of your
Sins now and always.”
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