How do you love,.. Or shall I ask how is your love displayed? How important is it to love? And what does this display of love look like?
Love is the most essential quality that we possess as Christians... , Without love we are defined as just tinkling brass or a sounding cymbal .. we are just making a bunch of noise.. In fact no matter how much talent we possess we should not be known soley by our talents.. The Bible proclaims, we shall be known because we have love for one another;
John 13:35
By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].
I call love the Christian identification card. Showing love is much more of a credential for a disciple of Jesus than any other spiritual trait.
Regular church attendance is NOT evidence of your Faith. Being on the usher board is NOT evidence of your Faith. Preaching is NOT evidence of you faith in Jesus, Singing is not evidence of your faith in Jesus, speaking in an unkown language is NOT evidence of your faith in Jesus... And yes having a Bible Study lesson posted on the internet is NOT evidence of Faith.
The sign of a Christian will be measured by love being actively displayed in the individual.
Eph 1:15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
Col 1:4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;
Philem 1:5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;
That is pretty plain is it not.., Because you have Faith in Jesus you now LOVE!!!
Rom 5:5
Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
Just as salvation came as a result of our Faith so does love also come as a result of our Faith...
Let me provide a really over simplification of what love is.. , Acts of Charity..... If you have faith the fruit that is produced through faith are acts of charity.. If you reference 1 Cor 13:4 , in the King James Version..., Love is called Charity.. and Charity is an act of kindness and the distribution of mercy. It is the fruit that the Spirit of GOD resident in us produces. And our acts of kindness our deeds become the very proof that we know GOD and that GOD knows us.
Here is a simple example recorded in the Holy Bible to bring home this point. ..
Matt 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.
Matt 7:20 Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.
Matt 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?
Matt 7:23 And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].
Notice the scripture says we shall be fully known by our fruits. This is how people shall know us as Christians and this is how GOD sees that we belong to HIM. My most earnest prayer is that GOD will say HE knows you.
Matt 25:35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
Matt 25:36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
Matt 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
Matt 25:38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
Matt 25:39 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
Matt 25:40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Please know that we do not love so that we can know GOD.. We love because GOD know us, partners with us abides in us and is in our midst.
WE behave as the Spirit living in us prompts us to behave, with acts fitting our salvation, manifested and revealed through our active living faith in Our LORD Jesus Christ.
James 2:14 What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?
James 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clad and lacks food for each day,
James 2:16 And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep [yourself] warm and well fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?
James 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).
Love becomes activated through faith in Christ Jesus .., A complete transfomation occurs, you have been the recipient of an infusion of God's love..
Without love , or behavior representative of Faith.., Our Faith is worthless ,our faith is DEAD.. and the Bible says , dead faith will not save YOU..
Gal 5:6
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.
My friends love is our garment.., it is the clothing that we wear . Did you know the Bible often relates righteosness as garments.. or clothing..or the lack thereof as nakeness..
No righteosness: ......... Rev 3:17
For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked
Righteousness:..........Rev 19:8
She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white--for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteousness (the upright, just, and godly living, deeds, and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God's holy people).
I want to always be dressed properly in this world and in the world to come.. ..
1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
