We've spent the past few weeks taking a look at the absence of love, the presence of love, the importance of love, the standard of love that should be used and reflected on how we love others in comparison to how God loves and treats us. Today's message will be the final in this series and we'll be taking a look at some of the ways in which we can develop in loving others as God expects us to.
1. Choosing to love.
In the previous messages I took some time to stress the importance of love and I think it should at the very least make us all aware of the fact that walking in love is a commandment from God. Based on this, we should take comfort and courage in knowing that God would never expect something of us that He didn't believe we could accomplish - otherwise He'd be setting us up to fail / sin ... and He wouldn't do so, meaning we are capable of loving others as He expects us to. We can therefore comfortably make a quality decision to believe that this is possible, that it's something God wants us to do, and therefore we can do it. So number 1 is choosing to love. This stance/belief positions us for number 2.
2. Recognise that the source of love lives in us.
If we believe that we're capable of loving others according to God's measure of love, then we need to find out how to do so ... The starting point of this is recognizing that we cannot do so in our own human might, strength or self-discipline - if we could, then we could obey the whole law (Romans 13:8-10) and there would be no need for Jesus Christ to have come.
Love is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and we are born of the Spirit of God, who is love, and therefore we are born of love (1 John 4:8). We have the capacity to love as God loves because we are born of Him. We have this in us because Jesus asked the Father to give it to us:
John 17:20-26 (NLT)
"I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them."
He then sent us the Holy Spirit, through whom we receive this love.
Romans 5:5 (NKJ)
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
This means that we have the capacity to love as God expects us to, because His love lives on the inside of us through the Holy Spirit whom we received when we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. It cannot be produced or sustained through self-effort.
3. We draw on this love by abiding in Him
John 15:4-8 (NKJ)
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
From the above passage we can see that God is glorified when we bear much fruit (that our Christian lives produce the outcomes that God desires of us), and love is one of those fruits (Galatians 5:22-23), and the way we achieve this is by abiding in Him (This means to maintain a healthy relationship with God, growing in intimacy with Him, and where we draw our strength from Him and depend on Him)
Ephesians 6:10 (AMP)
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.
1 John 4:16-17 (AMP)
We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.
The more we draw near to God and nurture our relationship with Him, cherishing His presence and our intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit, spending quality time in prayer, reading His word and worship, the closer we will "walk with Him". As we stay "plugged" into Him / connected to Him, through continuous fellowship with His Spirit, we get to experience the life of God and the fruit of love will begin to grow.
4. Be aware of what the devil is trying to accomplish.
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT)
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
When we are tempted - and we will be - to carry offence, hold a grudge, remain angry and allow hatred and unforgiveness to fill our hearts and minds, let us draw near to God, and allow His word to remind us that this is exactly where the enemy wants us to be.
(see message about unforgiveness in the following link: https://unlessjesusbuilds.blogspot.com/search/label/Unforgiveness)
The above verse states that even though - on the face of it - all of these confrontations or temptations are carried out by people, we must be aware that our fight is not against people but the demonic spirit that is influencing that situation. That we should recognise the attack or temptation for what it is - that the enemy is trying to get us out of love towards one other. To bring about the exact opposite of what God desires ... now I know this is easier said than done, and this bring us to point 5:
5. Don't back down or give up when you fail.
We will make mistakes, we will slip up, we will succumb to various temptations and react in a manner that's opposite to the one God desires of us. But - if we choose to believe that loving others as God desires of us is possible, then it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to deciding how we continue on this journey. The choice to believe that loving others is possible influences how we respond - what our next reaction or decision is going to be. Do we throw in the towel and just carry on in our potential state of anger, offence, hatred and unforgiveness - or will be pause and take a moment to breathe - to walk away - to strengthen ourselves by spending some time with God, in His word, prayer, worship, spending time with people that'll influence us to make the right, Godly, choices - and come back again with a response, reaction and decision that God desires. To go the way of love.
Choosing to believe that we can love others positions us to go through the trial, temptation or storm that the enemy may be bringing against us to get us out of the commandment to love and into a place of unforgiveness....we'll either succumb to our fleshly desires (again - which we will, more often than we would like to) or we'll persevere and continue to believe that God's love through us will triumph, regardless of the setbacks (Galatians 5:13-25). Making a quality decision to love / to believe that we can love as God does - makes all the difference.
So let us continue to meditate on the word (Joshua 1:8) (scriptures about loving others) and by faith believe and trust in God's grace to love others through us. That His love can flow even to the unlovely. That He will help us and strengthen us in our moments of weakness - and then when we fail, ask God for forgiveness, and carry on trusting in His ability to love others as He desires of us!
I trust that you were encouraged by this series and that it's helped to bring an awareness of just how important the commandment to love is, and also an encouragement to trust in Him to help all of us obey this commandment.
Amen
The above verse states that even though - on the face of it - all of these confrontations or temptations are carried out by people, we must be aware that our fight is not against people but the demonic spirit that is influencing that situation. That we should recognise the attack or temptation for what it is - that the enemy is trying to get us out of love towards one other. To bring about the exact opposite of what God desires ... now I know this is easier said than done, and this bring us to point 5:
5. Don't back down or give up when you fail.
We will make mistakes, we will slip up, we will succumb to various temptations and react in a manner that's opposite to the one God desires of us. But - if we choose to believe that loving others as God desires of us is possible, then it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to deciding how we continue on this journey. The choice to believe that loving others is possible influences how we respond - what our next reaction or decision is going to be. Do we throw in the towel and just carry on in our potential state of anger, offence, hatred and unforgiveness - or will be pause and take a moment to breathe - to walk away - to strengthen ourselves by spending some time with God, in His word, prayer, worship, spending time with people that'll influence us to make the right, Godly, choices - and come back again with a response, reaction and decision that God desires. To go the way of love.
Choosing to believe that we can love others positions us to go through the trial, temptation or storm that the enemy may be bringing against us to get us out of the commandment to love and into a place of unforgiveness....we'll either succumb to our fleshly desires (again - which we will, more often than we would like to) or we'll persevere and continue to believe that God's love through us will triumph, regardless of the setbacks (Galatians 5:13-25). Making a quality decision to love / to believe that we can love as God does - makes all the difference.
So let us continue to meditate on the word (Joshua 1:8) (scriptures about loving others) and by faith believe and trust in God's grace to love others through us. That His love can flow even to the unlovely. That He will help us and strengthen us in our moments of weakness - and then when we fail, ask God for forgiveness, and carry on trusting in His ability to love others as He desires of us!
I trust that you were encouraged by this series and that it's helped to bring an awareness of just how important the commandment to love is, and also an encouragement to trust in Him to help all of us obey this commandment.
Amen