They will know we are Christians by our Love
It seems expected that in the month of February we would be speaking about love. It is in this month that we remember our loved ones and send them gifts and cards to express that love. It is my desire that you, the ladies of Cornerstone, grow in love for God and one another, and that we follow His commandments and grow in the ways that He wants us to grow.
We know that God loves us; there are numerous scriptures that tell us so, especially in the Psalms. We don’t really need to be reminded of our Father’s love for us. The fact is that His love is unconditional, unchanging, and not dependent upon us.
The Bible often speaks of God’s love for us,
But what I want to speak to you about is how he expects us to love. That is where we need to pay heed to God’s word.
God tells his people from the beginnings, the things we should do to please Him.. The Old Testament is full of examples like the one in Deut. 10:12-13
Deut 10:12-13
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
What we need to examine is do we really love Him with all our heart and soul? Do we really keep His commandments? Do we really serve Him? And what are His commands about our love toward others?
. If we really love God we would be thinking about Him, talking about His word, and sharing our faith. We would love to see and hear God’s word in our homes.
Deut 6:5-9
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
NIV
Those scriptures tell us how we should love God.
Jesus tells us that to Love God we keep his commandments, and the greatest commandments he has told us. We should love those around us, whether friend or foe.
Matt 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
Rom 13:10
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
NIV
So Do we really love our God and do those things? If we love God, what about the second commandment, loving our neighbors?….
When we think of our neighbors, we should think of those around us in the world.
Luke 6:27-38
I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
NIV
God makes it clear that to keep these commandments, it would not be easy. We do not automatically love enemies. It is not natural for us to act this way, but as Christians, we will be known by our love.
But if we love our enemies to this extent, how much more should we love our Christian family? Rom 12:10-13:1 Hebrews 10:23-25
Rom 12:10-13:1
Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
NIV
Heb 10:23-25
3 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
NIV
Finally, we all know these scriptures, but we must look carefully at them once again. Do we truly love? Examine yourself and your motives as we read 1 Cor 13:1-10
1 Cor 13:1-10
:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails
I challenge you to pray daily asking God to help you truly love.
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