The Christian has accountability to The
Word of God. We must abide by God's rules in order to live a life
filled with God's presence. There is no compromise in the pages of
The Holy Bible, and there can be no compromise with sin.
"A little leaven, leavens the
whole lump." Galatians 5:9
In fact this chapter reminds us that we
must walk in love, the liberty of love; loving one another without
sin in it. "Love one another" is a repeated phrase in our
King James Bible. It stands to reason,
therefore, that this Godly Love, this Agape Love, must be used to
love each other wholly.
Love based on the color of one's skin,
or on cultural unity, or on denominational status is not Agape Love.
That love is compromised, for within its exclusivity there is no room
for any other than themselves.
The love of God exceeds all man-made
boundaries: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
John 3: 16,17.
God's Love is for THE WHOLE WORLD. And
every one in it. We are to love each other with this love. This love
is sacrificial and beneficial to both the one who loves and the one
who is loved by the other. This love is in me because Jesus Christ
lives in my heart. This love is active in my life because The Holy
Spirit was sought after by me and given to me by God.
I am whosoever will because I believe
that Jesus Christ is The Only Begotten Son of God. He died on the
cross to pay the death penalty for my sins because He loves me. He
fought death, hell and the grave and walked out of the tomb because
He loves me. But before He ascended on clouds into His Father's
presence, He reminded us that He would send The Comforter in His
place.
This Comforter would reveal The Truth
in God's Word: The whole Bible is The Word of God. And we now know
through much study and prayer that Jesus Christ Is The Word of God.
That Bible on your shelf isn't just a representation of God's Holy
Word: IT IS GOD'S WORD. IT IS, in print, GOD'S SON.
That is not a relic of times past. To
change The Bible is to condemn your soul to hell by your actions and
your own wisdom, which is foolishness. Therefore, any Bible which has
been modified to redact certain verses which make a person
uncomfortable, is not a Holy Bible any more. It is just a book.
What makes The Holy Bible difficult to
read for many is not the 'thees' and 'thous', but it is the
declaration of what is sin and what is not sin. It is the Do's and
Don'ts of living a righteous perfect life before God. It is the
unwillingness to surrender one's heart and mind and life to God's
Will, God's Heart, God's Salvation.
Without first surrendering your heart
to God when you believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for your
salvation, you cannot understand The Written Word on your own. You
and I both need this precious Holy Spirit of God which Christ sent
into the world on they who believe and wait for It. Without The Holy
Spirit revealing Truth and Wisdom in God's Word, I could not speak to
you as such.
Without the love of God working in me,
perfecting my soul, I could not boldly tell you of God's redeeming
love. A love which is unconditional: there are no strings attached to
Godly love. This love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13, using the word
'charity'.
Godly Love is longsuffering.
Longsuffering means patiently enduring. Hebrews 12:1-4
Godly Love is kind. Mercy and
Compassion are evident in action and speech. Psalm 23:6
Godly Love is un-envious. It does not
want what someone else has. Philippians 4:11-13
Godly Love is not prideful. Proverbs
8:13, 16:6; Psalm 97:10
Godly Love is mindful of one's actions.
Unseemly behavior, acting out and tantrums, are not a way of life
with this love. Psalm 112:4; Romans 12:1,2
Godly Love seeks to please others
before self. John 13:34, 35
Godly Love is not easily provoked.
Every offense must not be reciprocated with vengeance. Remember Godly
Love covers all sins and forgives all. John 3:16
Godly Love does not think evil
thoughts. Philippians 4:8
Godly Love rejoices not in sin, but in
truth. Hebrews 11:24-26
Godly Love bears all things. Psalm 91
Godly Love believes all things. Romans
8:38, 39
Godly Love hopes all things. Galatians
5:5, 6
Godly Love endures all things. 1
Timothy 6:11, 12; Ephesians 6:13, 14
Godly Love never fails. Endures
everlastingly, for ever. Absolute. Without end. From everlasting to
everlasting. Psalm 145:8, 9
The born again Christian chooses to allow Christ to live and breathe through him and her. We choose to live godly lifestyles. We choose to be perfected by The Holy Spirit, that we might become holy and then be allowed into God's eternal presence, after our bodies die. We choose to have Christ love through us to whomsoever we may encounter in our lives. We choose to love you even if you do not reciprocate that love to us. We cannot help ourselves. We are the love of God to the whole world.
