August 28, 2016 JUST AS YOUR FATHER
Luke:6:35-37: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”
Without a doubt, these verses serve as an acid test as to whether our “Christianity” is indeed biblical, according to the gospel of Jesus. Are we to actually LOVE our enemies? Are we to HELP our enemies and do GOOD to them-and even LEND to them and expect no return? I would say that most believers are willing to ignore their enemies, and even pray that God might deal with them-but to love them is limited to “loving” them in our mind and thoughts only. To truly love an enemy is something that is super-natural, but as believers, the super-natural life is ours to live. The key to loving our enemies is in knowing that God is our Father and that He has put His Spirit within us, making it possible to think, to respond, and to live in a way that resembles His life. When we have the love of God in our hearts, and when we know His love and experience His love, it becomes natural to express that love to all. Romans 5:5 tells us that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Many know and agree in their mind that God is their Father, but to know in the deepest part of our being that God is our real Father and that He knew us long before our physical birth is a life-changer for us. The life that Jesus demonstrated is to be the life we live; if we think that there is no way that our lives can resemble the life that Jesus lived, then we do not yet understand the good news of the gospel. Jesus is our example, as we see in 1 John 2:6: “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” Perhaps the most overshadowing truth that makes all the difference is that it is the love of God being known in our hearts that causes us to desire, and enables us to live life as God designed. If the life we live does not flow out of the love of God, then we are living a sub-standard life. When we are experiencing the love of God, the scriptures, the commands of God, are not seen as laws we must keep and are not burdensome, but His words become life and His commands reveal the new creation that He has made us. It is futile trying to get the old man, or the old nature, to live a life that is keeping with the gospel, but when the Holy Spirit is ruling our lives, the commands of scripture become opportunities to express the nature of God.
Ephesians 5:1-2: “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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