The Love of Christ Compels Us
"If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God, if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:13-15)."
When you experience the deep love of Christ and it's purity and beauty, you cannot help but give it away. This love is a sacrificial love. It is one that continues to love regardless of how you are treated, regardless of what others say to you or about you and it is one that loves against all odds. This love of Christ forgives when you are hurt. It forgives when you are mistreated. It forgives when injustice is shown to you or your family. This type of love keeps no record of wrongs. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)." When you have Christ living inside of you, it shows. You are an ambassador of the Lord Jesus or in other words, you represent Him to the world. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20)." You my friend are His light shining in the darkness. The light that so many need.
Jesus is our perfect example. He loved us and died for us while we were still yet sinners. He was beaten, insulted, mistreated and mocked, yet He chose to die so that you and I might live. He could have called more than twelve legions of angels to come to His aid, but He did not because He loved us so much. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)."
So, what does this love look like for you and me today? For one, it goes against what the world portrays which is to look out for number one. It is not getting back at someone who has hurt you. It is putting others above ourselves. It is dying to our flesh and what we want and instead following Jesus and lining our will up with His will. It is choosing to not act out in our flesh when we are in an unfair situation. My friend, you and I have a choice to make when we are confronted with someone who wounds us, mistreats us and says all sorts of evil against us. As long as we are here on this earth, we will have many trials. Not one of us are immune to pain and heartache. The question is, how are we going to respond? The human tendency is to lash out at someone who verbally abuses you or you withhold showing forgiveness or love towards that person. As a follower of Christ, the only way to respond is with compassion, with kindness, not paying back evil for evil, and continuing to love through it all. "You have heard that it was said, 'love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)." This goes against everything in our flesh however, the Holy Spirit living inside of us gives us the power to overcome. He gives us the power to keep on forgiving and to keep on loving. It is definitely supernatural and cannot be done without the Spirit. Think about Jesus...He continues to forgive us, He continues to love us in spite of our sin. None of us are perfect, and will not be made perfect until He comes. So until that day, we will sin. It won't be habitual~or it shouldn't be. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him, he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother (1 John 3:9-10)." We will sometimes offend someone. We will hurt someones feelings. We will just be selfish. However, our desire should be that we become more and more like Christ.
Take some time each day to get in God's word. Let Him speak to you and fill your mind with the truth. His word will transform you. Pray and ask Him to help you love like He does. Ask Him to help you see others through His eyes, not your own. Remember that you are so dearly loved by the One who made you, who knows every detail about you. Jesus loves without condition. When you are filled with the love of Jesus, it will overflow from you into the lives of all of those around you. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31)!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.
To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. who made the great lights-His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. The moon and the stars to govern the night; His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-9)."
When you experience the deep love of Christ and it's purity and beauty, you cannot help but give it away. This love is a sacrificial love. It is one that continues to love regardless of how you are treated, regardless of what others say to you or about you and it is one that loves against all odds. This love of Christ forgives when you are hurt. It forgives when you are mistreated. It forgives when injustice is shown to you or your family. This type of love keeps no record of wrongs. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)." When you have Christ living inside of you, it shows. You are an ambassador of the Lord Jesus or in other words, you represent Him to the world. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20)." You my friend are His light shining in the darkness. The light that so many need.
Jesus is our perfect example. He loved us and died for us while we were still yet sinners. He was beaten, insulted, mistreated and mocked, yet He chose to die so that you and I might live. He could have called more than twelve legions of angels to come to His aid, but He did not because He loved us so much. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)."
So, what does this love look like for you and me today? For one, it goes against what the world portrays which is to look out for number one. It is not getting back at someone who has hurt you. It is putting others above ourselves. It is dying to our flesh and what we want and instead following Jesus and lining our will up with His will. It is choosing to not act out in our flesh when we are in an unfair situation. My friend, you and I have a choice to make when we are confronted with someone who wounds us, mistreats us and says all sorts of evil against us. As long as we are here on this earth, we will have many trials. Not one of us are immune to pain and heartache. The question is, how are we going to respond? The human tendency is to lash out at someone who verbally abuses you or you withhold showing forgiveness or love towards that person. As a follower of Christ, the only way to respond is with compassion, with kindness, not paying back evil for evil, and continuing to love through it all. "You have heard that it was said, 'love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)." This goes against everything in our flesh however, the Holy Spirit living inside of us gives us the power to overcome. He gives us the power to keep on forgiving and to keep on loving. It is definitely supernatural and cannot be done without the Spirit. Think about Jesus...He continues to forgive us, He continues to love us in spite of our sin. None of us are perfect, and will not be made perfect until He comes. So until that day, we will sin. It won't be habitual~or it shouldn't be. "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him, he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother (1 John 3:9-10)." We will sometimes offend someone. We will hurt someones feelings. We will just be selfish. However, our desire should be that we become more and more like Christ.
Take some time each day to get in God's word. Let Him speak to you and fill your mind with the truth. His word will transform you. Pray and ask Him to help you love like He does. Ask Him to help you see others through His eyes, not your own. Remember that you are so dearly loved by the One who made you, who knows every detail about you. Jesus loves without condition. When you are filled with the love of Jesus, it will overflow from you into the lives of all of those around you. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31)!
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His love endures forever.
To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. who made the great lights-His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. The moon and the stars to govern the night; His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-9)."
Comments
Post a Comment