We love because He loved us (first). 1 John 4:19
We live in 'me-me' centered time. We could blame it on the covid pandemic. But, truth be told that this catastrophe just intensified the 'me-factor'.
We see the rise of 'love is love' and 'love & light'. I myself was caught in this whirlwind of self-proclaimed wisdom.
Truly, self-proclaimed is wisdom based on self and not God.
I was going to title this post as 'Love is not love but that God is love'. Because true love does not exist without God.
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
Jesus shows us through the chapters of the New Testament how-to walk-in love. Jesus emphasized that we ought to love one another.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. —John 15:13.
There are way too many scriptures that I can share with you relating to the true love of the Father and how we as His beautiful children ought to action that love. With that knowing, we need to understand that the world has made us believe that all love is love. This is a lie.
In this, there is point where the love can become sinful in terms of crossing the borderline into pride, manipulation, people pleasing, even (I dare say) inclusivity.
Truth be told, I cannot tell you or anyone else how to love. Only truly, can Jesus.
I need to give credit to amazing teacher for the title of this post as well as a few things I am about to mention regarding this topic. Credit: #Voddie Baucham - Full sermon link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jYtODX22ZY&pp=ygUldm9kZGllIGJhdWNoYW0gZG8gbm90IGxvdmUgdGhlIHdvcmxkIA%3D%3D
First, we always, every second, minute of the day - just have to examine our hearts for - the love of the world.
Think about how churches have accepted many things of the world in the name of love & inclusivity. The very things that are contrast to the principles of Jesus & His biblical truth.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
🎶 Gospel music starting to sound real secular.
Things are upside down. I will say, we as 'Christians' we're diluting the truth of the gospel of Jesus so that, what & Who we believe in is accepted by the world on the world's terms. People have become super sensitive and thus resulting in the latter. The way of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ is blunt, is crust, is tough, the road to salvation is a bumpy one and we ought to recognize this and allow others to be aware of this reality.
Once you know this truth, you won't want to live any other way again.
Christ’s yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30) while the way is hard (Matthew 7:14) What this means is Christians carry light burdens on a hard path. Reverse this image and you get the contrasting picture of the world: people who carry heavy burdens on an easy path. The burden the world carries is the weight of performance and the shame of guilt. research.lifeway.com/2018/06/28/is-christianity-easy-or-hard/
a few points to recognize when love can be sinful...
True love makes me want to share my testimony with others.
Pride makes me want to exaggerate my testimony.
True love makes me want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pride makes me love the sound of my voice - so I just talk too much.
True love makes me want to share my story.
Pride makes me the hero of my story.
True love can show gratitude for the things with which God has blessed me.
Pride can make me constantly give you the price tag of these things to impress you.
Love can be sinful when we direct it to pleasing the world and seek acceptance from it.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.. James 4:4
Love can be sinful when it arises from the wrong source.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matthew 7:18-20
Remember the Nots:
Love is not always appropriate (love corrects, love does not conform to be accepted)
Love is not always righteous (loving things of the world is the opposite of seeking God's righteousness)
Love is not always acceptable (not acceptable to entertaining sinful behavior)
More importantly remember what is:
Love suffers long & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
God is love, and He loved us first.
I love you and Jesus loves you more than all the more's you can imagine!
PS. You are a blessing.
❤
Comments