We owe love to our neighbor

As children of God we have a debt that we have to repay to our neighbor.  We have to make payments on this debt every day.  This debt is to love our neighbor.  It says in Romans 13:8 (NKJV) “ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  So the Apostle Paul is sharing with us here that we should stay out of financial debt but we are always indebted to our neighbor to love them.  As a part of the indebtedness, we are to treat everyone with dignity, respect and as valuable.  There is a saying in the world that people have to earn respect.  Actually we owe it to our neighbor to give them respect.  It should flow naturally out of us to other people.  From this love peace also flows.  We should strive to speak words that bring peace into others lives.  This love also doesn't try to put pressure on people to manipulate them.  This love strives to bring the best out of their neighbor.

Walking in the love of God will cause him to show up more in our life

As children of God we all want to experience more of God's presence in our life.  We all want to experience the miraculous, have more wisdom, know what to do at the right time, and et cetera.  But how do we experience more of the divine in our life?  We do that by walking in the love of God.  It says in John 14:21 (NLT) "21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”"  So we ask ourselves, do we accept the commandments of our Heavenly Father?  It that how we orientate our thinking?  To strive to think about situations and circumstances the way our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus would approach things in our life.  How are we at obedience to the Lord?  This measures our love for the Lord and has an impact on the measure of God's presence that we will experience in our life.

We are nothing without God's love

I have often shared with others that the greatest force that there is in existence is the force and power of love.  Love drives everything in this world and in eternity.  Love is such a critical force and power that without it we are nothing.  It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (AMP) "13 If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such [a]as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers ([b]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). 3 Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or [c]in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing."  The love of God is the spiritual force that is the foundation for our entire life.  It's gives substance and life to everything we do.

Walking in the love of God brings full joy

People are miserable when they live a selfish life.  When we are self-obsessed all the time we will never experience the fullness of joy that we should in our life.  It is only through our commitment to God and his word that we will experience the fullness of the joy that God has for us.  It says in John 15:9-11 (NKJV) "9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."  The Lord shares with us here that the pathway to more happiness and joy in our life runs right through our obedience to the Lord.

Are we fulfilling the law of Christ?

The law of Christ is the law of substitution and sacrifice.  In other words, Christ substituted himself for our sins and sacrificed himself for our salvation and redemption.  It says in Galatians 6:2 (NIV) 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Jesus said it a different way when he said in Luke 9:23-24 (NIV) "23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it."  So we as God's children are to fulfill the law of Christ.  Thus is should be a joy to be inconvenienced to help others as we are directed by the Holy Spirit.  In fact, it may even be necessary to suffer what we may want to help someone else.  This is the law of Christ.

There is no condemnation in Christ

One of the beautiful things about a relationship with Jesus Christ is that there is no condemnation in the relationship as long as we are walking in the Spirit (This means walking in the light of God's word.).  It says in Romans 8:1-2 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."  It's really liberating when we understand that God does not condemn us.  However, that does not mean that the Holy Spirit will not convict us.  In other words, if we are not walking as we should the Holy Spirit will convict us in the area that we are wrong, so as to get us on the right path.  Our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus want us to be blessed and will provide whatever help we need.

How we treat each other is our Christian witness

As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, it is very important how we treat one another.  In John 13:34,35 (NKJV) it says,  "34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  So the Lord Jesus here says that we are to love each other just as he has loved us.  That is a very tall order.  When you think of all that Jesus did for us and for the ultimate sacrifice that he paid with his life to ransom us from the power of darkness.  It is with this same love that we are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Jesus further said here, that this love that we have one for another, would be how others would recognize us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ.  Let's walk in this love.

Do we walk in darkness?

It says in 1 John 1:5 (NKJV) "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."  There is no darkness in our Heavenly Father at all.  We are instructed as children of God to walk in the light and to be imitators of God himself.  So then why would a child of God walk in the darkness?  When we walk in darkness we do not walk in the light of God's word.  It causes the blessing of God to stop working in our life.  It's just like someone who would come home late at night and not turn the light on in their house.  So in the dark they would grope around and bump into things.  Perhaps that could injure themselves pretty bad.  To the point they might even need medical help.  Such is the believer who refuses to walk in the light of God's word.  They will cause unnecessary damage and impact the blessing of God in their lives.

"God's Love Has Been Poured Into Our Hearts” - Part 1

ARM Message for September 16, 2012: “God's Love Has Been Poured Into Our Hearts” - Part 1
Foundation Text:
Romans 5:5 "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
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