The Power to Love Perfectly

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

Most would say this is an impossible commandment of the Lord. One might ask what is the feasibility of loving God in the fullness of expression as He commands? Perfect love only comes through the empowerment of Jesus Christ within. Only He can create a perfect love within that matures into this "fullness of expression."

Perfect charity is only possible through the love of God that has been poured out in the heart of every believer (Romans 5:5). Only through the Holy Spirit and His zeal for the Son and the Father can we experience a perfect love that is passionate for God and likewise for those with whom He loves. Beloved, while perfect hearts of love are far beyond our capabilities, they are always an ever present reality if we will but yield ourselves to His loving Spirit.

Judging Righteously

John 7:24 - "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Jesus told us to judge sin, not sinners. Judging sinners is God's job. However, we are deceived if we believe He does not want us to mourn, pray, and speak up against sin in all its forms. Obvious sins are lust, drunkenness, abortion, homosexuality, murder, theft, and so forth. However, we must see things such as anger and jealousy are equally as offensive to God.

We must first judge the sin in ourselves. Then, we will be able to compassionately judge sin in others with love and with the promise of God's forgiveness. Remember, Jesus wept over Jerusalem before He whipped the moneychangers out of the Temple. May we have surrendered hearts, judging only when He tells us to do so in love.

Unwavering Faith

Romans 4:20 - "Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God."

It took many years for Abraham to realize the promise of God through the birth of Isaac. What has God promised to birth in our lives that we are holding onto by faith? Or, have we wavered, seeking instead to birth something in our own power?

We all have "Ishmaels" that we have tried to give to God in place of our Isaacs. However, God is faithful and will keep His promise even when we sometimes lack faith. Where is the promise of salvation for our children? Where is vision we once had for ministry? What happened to that healing for ourselves or a loved one we were sure God desired? It is not ours to question, only to believe. Like Abraham, we must repent for our Ishmaels and continue to grow strong in faith, giving glory to God. In due season, we will reap the promises of God because He cannot deny Himself.

Roasting Our Prey

Proverbs 12:27 - "A lazy man does not roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence."

The Bushmen of Africa were said to have pursued animals for days, running with endurance until they exhausted an antelope or gazelle. Their diligence and steadfastness meant that eventually they would overtake their fleet-footed quarry. In the same way, God desires us to pursue righteousness (Proverbs 15:9), until we capture it. Often, it will escape us in the short-term, but if we set our eyes on the goal of becoming like Jesus, then we will soon capture His heart and become like Him.

Godliness is the birthright of every Christian. Some just desire it more and will run the race with endurance until the "quarry" is theirs. May we never give up, never give in, until we "roast" our prey and partake of all He desires to give us.

Freedom Through Obeying God’s Truth

John 8:31-32 - "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'”

Understanding God’s word and doing God’s word are related but so different. Jesus understood this reality and it grieved Him deeply. Likewise, we see limited freedom in Christians because of limited obedience. We hang on to our own words and what we think best for our lives rather than continuing in Christ's words.

Beloved, we must surrender all to know true freedom. Then, we must stand against the lies of the enemy and take possession of all Jesus has given us. Obey, trust, and believe. If we continue in these, we will know freedom beyond comprehension.

Eyes to See

John 9:25 - "He then answered, 'Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.'”

The most powerful convincer we have regarding our faith is our testimony. People can argue theology and apologetics, but it is difficult to argue experience. If we have been set free from alcoholism, or anger, or jealousy, or homosexuality, or adultery, or greed, or any other sin, it is difficult to argue against the power of God.

John the Revelator tells us the testimony of Jesus' work in our lives is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). May we all prophesy hope into dead lives through what Christ has done in our hearts. In so doing, we will show a blind world the glory of His power.

All Things Work Together for Good

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Do we love God? Then we can be assured that He is orchestrating all things on our behalf. Will we love God perfectly? That is the promise of eternity. Until then, He only desires that we keep turning our affection toward Him. His response will be a perfect harmony of events resulting in our sanctification. We need only to continue turning to Christ and to rest in Him.

Lord, grant us the wisdom to understand that You are causing Your great love to bring us to the place You desire. May we know You are perfecting us everyday into the image of Your Son as we believe and submit to Your plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.