The Importance of walking in love
January 2015
Love. If you're like me, you love LOVE, Amen! But here's the question that Jesus has laid on my heart to ask you, "Are you loving like Him?" Listen friend, we can preach every day, post scriptures on Facebook, go to church, speak in tongues, be anointed, etc., and many would think that we are not only saved, but really growing spiritually and being used of God. But if we are walking in bitterness, unforgiveness, and/or offense we are not only stunting our spiritual growth, but also hindering what God wants to do in, for, and through us in this world.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 shows us the importance of love.
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing."
The key indicator of spiritual growth in the life of a blood bought believer is not speaking in tongues, being gifted, getting deep revelations from the Word, faith, or giving (although all of these things are WONDERFUL and each child of God should desire and walk in these things), it is, however, his or her love walk. As the body of Christ we have to yield our hearts completely to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to produce the kind of fruit only He can produce in our lives.
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
Not just for our sakes, but for the sake of this world. You see, "the preaching that this world needs are the sermons in shoes who are walking WITH and LIKE JESUS." As people who have been saved, we are Jesus' hands and feet in this world. We all have been given the great commission to go out there, share the Gospel and make disciples, but I feel that that the greatest hindrance to our "talk" is indeed our "walk." We say we are His disciples and that we love Him, but do we really (John 14:21,23 & Matthew 22:36-40)? Can this world look at us and tell by the fruit of the Holy Spirit on our lives that we are His disciples or do they see someone who yes, maybe a Christian, but is mean, hateful, bitter, and unforgiving? John 13:34-35 NLT says,
"....Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
It's not by how many scriptures you know, satan knows them too (Matthew 4:1-11). It's not by how many times a week you go to church (even though we should go to church <Hebrews 10:25>), but, It's by your love for people that this world will know that you are truly God's disciples! 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love COMES from GOD. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." LOVE is important in the life of a blood bought believer! It shows that we are children of God and that we KNOW GOD! "Well Raven, I love people, I just don't really like or fool with some......"
Let's stop here: Friend, we are called to love, live, walk, and talk like Christ in this world. We are called to live by what the Word says. Condoning anything that goes against God and His Word is NOT loving someone or showing love to that person. The Bible tells us to preach the Word and to be prepared whether the time is favorable or not to correct, rebuke, and encourage with good teaching (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 4:2 NLT). LOVING someone does not mean we sit around, quiet when we see that they are either doing something wrong or heading in the wrong direction because we are afraid that they may either dislike us or accuse us of judging them. Friend, as God leads you He will not only open the door for you to minister (correct, rebuke, encourage) someone, but He will also give you the words to say. No, they may not receive what you have to say or change the next day because of it (only God can truly change someone), but your words will be a seed and then God will use someone else to come along and water it and then one day God will cause the seed to grow as the person chooses to surrender and draw close to Him.
"After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building." 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NLT
So you may say that you love everyone, but don't really like or fool with some. Listen, at times I believe that in the body of Christ we can be very "clicky." If someone is not in "our circle," we don't bother to be kind, let alone show love to them. If someone did something to us 8 years ago, we SAY that we forgave that person, but we not only drop them, but also refuse to be kind or show love to them. This attitude does not please God. It's true, everyone is not going to be or stay the best of friends. Times change, people change, and things change. It's also true that God at times will lead you to separate yourself from someone, but one thing that should always be constant in our lives if we are Christians is love. So what are the characteristics of love and how can we show it?
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Whew! There it is. Love is patient and kind, not just to your circle, but also to those outside your circle. Matthew 5:46-47 NLT says, "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. "If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that." If we're only loving or being kind to our friends, how are we different from this world and/or the people who don't know Jesus? Love is not jealous or boastful, proud or rude, not just in "Christian settings," but everywhere we go. Love does not demand it's own way, is not irritable, and keeps NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. Friend, if you are still telling everyone and their momma what that person did to you in great detail, you aren't walking in or showing love. Love does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices when the truth wins out. It never gives up or loses faith, it is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Satan can't love or show love for love is not in him. This agape love can only be displayed through and lived by true children of God. You can't fake this type of love for long, whatever is in you, will eventually come out. "Well Raven, I love people, but some people are just really mean and nasty." Friend, I understand. Growing up in Martinez, Georgia, I'm not ashamed to say that I was very sheltered and naive. lol! I was raised in a saved household, got saved at 13, and thought that as long as I was nice to people, they would be nice to me. But when I went off to college, I encountered many mean folks. I had two choices, I could be like them and be bitter, nasty, rude, hateful, and mean or I could be like my Father, and forgive, let it go, and CHOOSE to walk in LOVE. It wasn't easy, matter of fact there are still people who are not very nice to me, but what's important is that I did and continue to do what God called me to do and that is to show love. I've learned to not pretend to love others or just say that I do, but to really love them (Romans 12:9-10 NLT) by walking, talking, living, and yes, loving them like Christ loves them. Matthew 5:44 has become one of my many mantras:
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Loving our enemies, blessing them that curse us, doing good to them that hate us and praying for them which despitefully use and persecute us can be very hard. But Jesus did it and because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us (Romans 8:11), we can too! Yes, it's hard, but it's worth it! It's worth growing spiritually and being free from the bondage of unforgiveness, bitterness, and offense. It's worth showing love, planting or watering a seed in this world so that they may one day either come to know Christ or grow in their personal walk with Jesus. It's worth being "perfect" as Matthew 5:48 AMP says, "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect." It's all worth it. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything or anyone (including myself) to get in the way of what God wants to do in, for, and through me. I truly want everyone to get saved if they're not, fall in love with Jesus, and truly live for and like Him, but I've learned that the best way I can share the Gospel is by walking in LOVE. Without it, I gain nothing and am nothing.
So friend, today I challenge you to first pray and ask God to show you, you. Ask Him to show you anyone that you have not been kind to or showed love to. Ask Him to show you anyone who you have not forgiven. When He does, repent and then sincerely pray for that person and pray that God not only changes you from the inside out, but also perfects you in His love. Ask Him to help you love like He loves, forgive like He forgives, and to see that person the way that He sees them. And then, if God leads you to, SHOW LOVE and be kind to that person....reach out. It may be in the form of an encouraging word, Facebook message, text message, card, small gift, or a good ole fashion phone call. Don't be afraid to do this, God is on your side and is proud of you for CHOOSING to walk in love!
Be encouraged and WALK IN LOVE!!
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 shows us the importance of love.
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing."
The key indicator of spiritual growth in the life of a blood bought believer is not speaking in tongues, being gifted, getting deep revelations from the Word, faith, or giving (although all of these things are WONDERFUL and each child of God should desire and walk in these things), it is, however, his or her love walk. As the body of Christ we have to yield our hearts completely to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to produce the kind of fruit only He can produce in our lives.
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
Not just for our sakes, but for the sake of this world. You see, "the preaching that this world needs are the sermons in shoes who are walking WITH and LIKE JESUS." As people who have been saved, we are Jesus' hands and feet in this world. We all have been given the great commission to go out there, share the Gospel and make disciples, but I feel that that the greatest hindrance to our "talk" is indeed our "walk." We say we are His disciples and that we love Him, but do we really (John 14:21,23 & Matthew 22:36-40)? Can this world look at us and tell by the fruit of the Holy Spirit on our lives that we are His disciples or do they see someone who yes, maybe a Christian, but is mean, hateful, bitter, and unforgiving? John 13:34-35 NLT says,
"....Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
It's not by how many scriptures you know, satan knows them too (Matthew 4:1-11). It's not by how many times a week you go to church (even though we should go to church <Hebrews 10:25>), but, It's by your love for people that this world will know that you are truly God's disciples! 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love COMES from GOD. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." LOVE is important in the life of a blood bought believer! It shows that we are children of God and that we KNOW GOD! "Well Raven, I love people, I just don't really like or fool with some......"
Let's stop here: Friend, we are called to love, live, walk, and talk like Christ in this world. We are called to live by what the Word says. Condoning anything that goes against God and His Word is NOT loving someone or showing love to that person. The Bible tells us to preach the Word and to be prepared whether the time is favorable or not to correct, rebuke, and encourage with good teaching (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 4:2 NLT). LOVING someone does not mean we sit around, quiet when we see that they are either doing something wrong or heading in the wrong direction because we are afraid that they may either dislike us or accuse us of judging them. Friend, as God leads you He will not only open the door for you to minister (correct, rebuke, encourage) someone, but He will also give you the words to say. No, they may not receive what you have to say or change the next day because of it (only God can truly change someone), but your words will be a seed and then God will use someone else to come along and water it and then one day God will cause the seed to grow as the person chooses to surrender and draw close to Him.
"After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building." 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NLT
So you may say that you love everyone, but don't really like or fool with some. Listen, at times I believe that in the body of Christ we can be very "clicky." If someone is not in "our circle," we don't bother to be kind, let alone show love to them. If someone did something to us 8 years ago, we SAY that we forgave that person, but we not only drop them, but also refuse to be kind or show love to them. This attitude does not please God. It's true, everyone is not going to be or stay the best of friends. Times change, people change, and things change. It's also true that God at times will lead you to separate yourself from someone, but one thing that should always be constant in our lives if we are Christians is love. So what are the characteristics of love and how can we show it?
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Whew! There it is. Love is patient and kind, not just to your circle, but also to those outside your circle. Matthew 5:46-47 NLT says, "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. "If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that." If we're only loving or being kind to our friends, how are we different from this world and/or the people who don't know Jesus? Love is not jealous or boastful, proud or rude, not just in "Christian settings," but everywhere we go. Love does not demand it's own way, is not irritable, and keeps NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. Friend, if you are still telling everyone and their momma what that person did to you in great detail, you aren't walking in or showing love. Love does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices when the truth wins out. It never gives up or loses faith, it is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. Satan can't love or show love for love is not in him. This agape love can only be displayed through and lived by true children of God. You can't fake this type of love for long, whatever is in you, will eventually come out. "Well Raven, I love people, but some people are just really mean and nasty." Friend, I understand. Growing up in Martinez, Georgia, I'm not ashamed to say that I was very sheltered and naive. lol! I was raised in a saved household, got saved at 13, and thought that as long as I was nice to people, they would be nice to me. But when I went off to college, I encountered many mean folks. I had two choices, I could be like them and be bitter, nasty, rude, hateful, and mean or I could be like my Father, and forgive, let it go, and CHOOSE to walk in LOVE. It wasn't easy, matter of fact there are still people who are not very nice to me, but what's important is that I did and continue to do what God called me to do and that is to show love. I've learned to not pretend to love others or just say that I do, but to really love them (Romans 12:9-10 NLT) by walking, talking, living, and yes, loving them like Christ loves them. Matthew 5:44 has become one of my many mantras:
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Loving our enemies, blessing them that curse us, doing good to them that hate us and praying for them which despitefully use and persecute us can be very hard. But Jesus did it and because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us (Romans 8:11), we can too! Yes, it's hard, but it's worth it! It's worth growing spiritually and being free from the bondage of unforgiveness, bitterness, and offense. It's worth showing love, planting or watering a seed in this world so that they may one day either come to know Christ or grow in their personal walk with Jesus. It's worth being "perfect" as Matthew 5:48 AMP says, "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect." It's all worth it. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything or anyone (including myself) to get in the way of what God wants to do in, for, and through me. I truly want everyone to get saved if they're not, fall in love with Jesus, and truly live for and like Him, but I've learned that the best way I can share the Gospel is by walking in LOVE. Without it, I gain nothing and am nothing.
So friend, today I challenge you to first pray and ask God to show you, you. Ask Him to show you anyone that you have not been kind to or showed love to. Ask Him to show you anyone who you have not forgiven. When He does, repent and then sincerely pray for that person and pray that God not only changes you from the inside out, but also perfects you in His love. Ask Him to help you love like He loves, forgive like He forgives, and to see that person the way that He sees them. And then, if God leads you to, SHOW LOVE and be kind to that person....reach out. It may be in the form of an encouraging word, Facebook message, text message, card, small gift, or a good ole fashion phone call. Don't be afraid to do this, God is on your side and is proud of you for CHOOSING to walk in love!
Be encouraged and WALK IN LOVE!!