Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Love is the Foundation for Christian Life - Do you have that Christ's Love ???

Love is the Foundation for Christian Life – Do you Have that Christ"s Love
AN OVERFLOW OF LOVE–does our love produce a life marked by obedience?

+ 2 John 1:6 Love means following His commandments, and His underlying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first think you heard and nothing has changed. (THE MESSAGE)

Love is key. A heart that fully loves Christ produce a life that is marked by obedience to His word. How can you recognize loving obedience to Christ and His word?

1. Love obeys Christ’s commands WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
Those who love Christ will obey His commands simply because it is Christ’s word spoken to them. Whether it is the spoken commandment of Christ in scripture, His teachings, the Old or New Testament scriptures inspired by His Spirit, or the still small voice of His spirit speaking to the heart those who love Him will obey Him. Period.
+ Psalm 40:8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. (NIV)
+ Luke 11:28 [Jesus said], “Blessed . . . are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (NIV)

I just want to obey Christ and serve Him only. If my obedience is because of convenience or my personal belief, then I am serving my self and not Christ. If my obedience is the result of those in authority over my and my desire to please them, then I serve man and not Christ. Only as I wholeheartedly respond to Christ with a willing heart of devotion do I serve Christ and Him alone.

2. Love obeys Christ’s commands WITHOUT QUESTION.

Because I love Christ I will do whatever Has asks whenever He asks me to do it. I am not free to pick and choose what or when I want to obey. It’s like we tell our kids, “delayed obedience is disobedience.”
The scriptures tell us that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are different from ours (Isaiah 55:8). We may not always understand the path Christ wants us to walk; we may think we know a better way. If only God would consider what we think would be best, or direct us at a different time.
Love for Christ keeps us walking in obedience to the direction He tells us to go. Love makes His way our way even when we don’t understand it. We obey Christ without question.

3. Love obeys Christ’s commands CHEERFULLY.
Love never obeys begrudgingly or with remorse. Love obeys willingly. Loves desire is to please the one it loves through glad and joyful obedience.

+ Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
+ Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.




4. Love obeys Christ’s commands CONSISTENTLY.

Love never fails. Because I love Christ I will always continue to love Him, therefore, I will continually obey Him.
+ Psalm 119:44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
How is it possible to faithfully obey Christ at all times? Yes, our love for Christ produces or overflows with obedience, but it doesn’t end there.
+ Deuteronomy 30:14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

Our heart has been transformed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s the Holy Spirit that enables us to have a consistent love for Jesus that never fails.