Love Abounds

1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13

"And The LORD make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before GOD, even our Father, at the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST with all His saints."

Whereas The LORD Jesus Christ lives in us, He also grows in us. His Love increases in us and abounds, overflows, out of us when we love each other as He loves us. It is an undying love, an ever-bearing branch, if you will, that produces righteous fruit in our lives.

The end result of this kind of love is holy hearts, which makes us presentable to GOD on Christ's behalf. Jesus makes us holy via The Holy Spirit of GOD. Salvation grafts us into The Branch, but The Spirit in us causes fruit to grow off of us. If we let Him.

What are the fruits of righteousness? Godly living, which begins with a godly heart, a heart that is the home of Jesus. Many are familiar with the painting of Christ Jesus knocking at the door of someone's home. That door is the door to the heart. The knob is on our side. When we turn the knob and open the door, we are allowing Christ to enter our hearts.

We become His home, His tabernacle, His temple. 1 Peter 2:5 "You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to GOD by Jesus Christ." We are Christ's spiritual houses, and, as such, need to live holy lives. For where GOD is is holy ground. GOD and sin cannot inhabit the same territory at the same time.

So what are these 'spiritual sacrifices' that we are required to offer up to GOD? Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of GOD that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of The Great GOD and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Romans 12:1, 2 "I beseech (beg, plead) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of GOD, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable (logical) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of GOD."

Spiritual sacrifices do not require any more blood to be shed. Jesus already did that. We need to bring our bodies under submission; this requires determination and perseverance on our part. We can resolve to be whatever we want to be, but without Jesus in the equation, that resolve will not be able to be sustained, nor will it prosper. We need to remember that when we say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", it is only THROUGH Christ, not without Christ, that getting things done is possible.

Here's to growing, and growing up, in Jesus.