Matt22:37-38 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38This is the first and great commandment.
I first want to say that I thank God that our salvation is not based on how we "show our love" toward God and others because if it was, most of us would not make it. This is another reason why we can't boast about being saved and to keep it humble ALWAYS. Those who truly understand and have the Holy Spirit within them do not have a boastful spirit. Knowing what we know? It's impossible to feel nothing more than grateful!!!
We express our love to God with our lips but like the scripture said, but your heart is far from Me Matt 15:8. Most of us have lived our lives as Christians for years and still haven't figured out how to love God. You can express your love for God with dance, singing, clapping, crying, being thankful, being grateful, praise, worship, prayer, through service (work), reading His word, studying, speaking in tongue, being nice to one another, sacrifice and all that other good stuff that we do. But God told us how to prove your love towards Him and it's not with your mouth or any of the other thing I just mentioned.
I got some good news folks!!!
We don't have to try to guess what it is that God want and we don't have to figure out how to show our love for Him in return. God told us how to show Him that we love Him. John 14:14 If ye love me, keep my commandments. This is how we love the Lord. Once we love the Lord, than He will accept our expression of Love towards Him. Now God already expressed and proven His love for us John 3:16. God did His part and kept His promise so then now it's man's turn.
***I want to make a note because I think that it's important. Those who read the word know that there are many laws written and then there's the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments are separated from the other (Mosaic)laws and that is why you see that I mentioned the commandments and not the laws even though the commandment is a law. The Mosaic laws were necessary for the Jews that also included rituals that were done to prepare them for the Messiah. Today, we have the Holy Spirit, teaching us how to live like Christ and to be obedient making us virgins without blimpish or spot to prepare us for the 2nd coming of Christ. This is why Paul wanted to express to the Jews about all those rituals are no longer necessary because of Jesus.***
HERE IS THE BRUTAL TRUTH!!!
I am giving you the truth because I love you and I want you to know this! It is impossible to have a personal relationship with God and you live in sin! It is not possible! God is holy and therefore there is no sin in Him. If we want to have a relationship with Him than we must have fellowship with Him. Our law is not to live in sin as explained in the books of 1st and 2nd John!
1John 1:16-17 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Here He is explaining how you can tell the difference between someone who have actual fellowship with God. If you see someone living in sin, than clearly, they have not been cleansed with the blood of Jesus. If you see someone walk after Christ, that you will see them in fellowship one with another. ***I call this the brutal truth.***
John 8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
1John 1:18 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. This is following the prior verse. He is explaining part B of verse 7, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Jesus will cleanse us and we are deceiving ourselves if we say there is no need for Jesus to do this because I have no sin. It is not saying anything about living in sin or walking in darkness so don't get that confused.
You have the truth already. 1John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
I love this verse because we sometimes struggle with the thought of us being sons of God because we do not look any different on the outer part (body) than we looked before we believed. John is saying that yes, we are son's of God but it will not shown on the outer part until Jesus appear again that we will not only change into our permanent appearance but it is then that we will actually be able to see Him in his full complete glory!!!
Our law 1John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.5And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.6Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.7Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
I encourage you to read all of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John well mainly 1st and 2nd. It is very detailed in how to built a relationship with God.
It's important to know what it means to walk in darkness to make sure we are not doing that because you are not a part of Christ if you are walking in darkness so here are some examples so you can examine for yourself and know what the Holy Spirit is saying. Key scripture on this subject.
1. Walking in darkness will keep us from comprehending God (1 John 1:5)
2. Walking in darkness will blind our spiritual eyes (1 John 2:11)
a)God is light and in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5)
b)Followers of God will not walk in darkness (1 John 1:6)
c)Walking in the truth of God's Word will keep us from walking in darkness (Psalm 119:105, John 3:21, John 17:17, 1 John 1:6)
3. Walking in darkness will produce the WORKS OF DARKNESS which is the manisfestation of the desires of the flesh. l The works of the flesh = unfruitful works of darkness (John 3:20, Ephesians 5:11)
a)The believers (Bride) are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12)
WHAT ARE THE UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS?
1. Romans 13:13
a)rioting
b)drunkenness
c)chambering
d)wantonness
e)strife
f)envying
The unfruitful works of darkness = works of the flesh (psuche) (Romans 3:14)
2. Galatians 5:19-21
a)adultery
b)fornication
c)uncleanness
d)lasciviousness
e)idolatry
f)witchcraft
g)hatred
h)variance
i)emulations
j)wrath
k)strife
l)seditions
m)heresies
n)envyings
o)murders
p)drunknenness
q)revellings
3. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11
a)fornicators
b)covetous
c)extortioners
d)idolators
e)railers
f)drunkards
The Bride of Christ does not walk in darkness which is the desires of the flesh - selfish life (psuche) which includes:
a)fornication
b)covetousness
c)uncleanness (Ephesians 5:3)
4. 2 Corinthians 12:20-21
a)debates
b)envyings
c)wraths
d)strifes
e)backbitings
f)whisperings
g)swellings
h)tumults
i)uncleanness
j)fornication
k)lasciviousness
5. Ephesians 4:17-18
Walking in darkness and the unfruitful works of darkness by living the soulish life (psuche) according to the desires of the flesh = walking in the vanity of your mind (Ephesians 4:17)
Walking in darkness: (Ephesians 4:18)
a)darkens our understanding of God
b)blinds our hearts
c)alienates us from the life (Zoe) of God
The Bride of Christ is not to have the works of darkness manifested in her life (Ephesians 4:19-20)
6. Colossians 3:5-9
a)fornicators
b)uncleanness
c)inordinate affections
d)evil concupiscence
e)covetousness
f)idolatry
g)anger
h)wrath
i)malice
j)blasphemy
k)filthy communication
l)lying
BELIEVERS WILL WALK IN LIGHT AND DO GOOD WORKS
Christians who walk in light do good works unto God. Doing good works does not save you. We are saved by the grace of God through faith and not by our good works. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it is written:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
However, after we are saved, God requires us to walk in light and perform good works which is our service unto Him. After explaining in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are not saved by good works, it explains in Ephesians 2:10 that after we are saved, we are required by God to do good works of service for the Kingdom of God. In Ephesians 2:10 it is written:
3. By walking in the LIGHT of the life (Zoe), the world will be able to see our GOOD WORKS and give glory to God (Matthew 5:16)Christians who walk in light do good works unto God. Doing good works does not save you. We are saved by the grace of God through faith and not by our good works. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it is written:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
However, after we are saved, God requires us to walk in light and perform good works which is our service unto Him. After explaining in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are not saved by good works, it explains in Ephesians 2:10 that after we are saved, we are required by God to do good works of service for the Kingdom of God. In Ephesians 2:10 it is written:
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
These truths can be see in the following scriptures:
1. Jesus did the GOOD WORKS of God (John 10:32, Acts 10:38)
2. The believers were created before the foundation of the world to do good works (Ephesians 2:10)
4. The believers are commanded by God to do the good works of Jesus (John 14:12, 1 Timothy 6:17-18, 2 Timothy 3:17, Titus 1:16, 2:14, 1 Peter 2:12)These truths can be see in the following scriptures:
1. Jesus did the GOOD WORKS of God (John 10:32, Acts 10:38)
2. The believers were created before the foundation of the world to do good works (Ephesians 2:10)
***I always broke it down like this... Wearing a dress does not make me a girl, however, because I am a girl, I wear a dress. I was a girl first than as a result of being a girl, I wear a dress. Same with being a Christian. You can not do good things to become a Christian. You are a Christian first, and than you do good things, produce good fruit, as a result of already being a Christian.***
So you see even with all the things that we may say with our mouth that we love the Lord and have a relationship with the Lord but the Lord is very specific in how you prove that you love Him and who has fellowship with Him. And not only that, if you are doing all those things (expressions of love) and not obeying Him, than God is not receiving them and you are doing them in vain. The relationship that man has with God that God is seeking is a love relationship. To love Him is to follow His commandments. To follow His commandments is to not sin. If you have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you, than He is teaching you what sin is and also He is explaining in details of the law and purpose of it.
So, even though we do not have the rituals of the law, we must not sin against God which is our law and was the law from the beginning. It's useless to do rituals because the guest of honor had already come. The ritual was preparing them for the guest of Honor Jesus and now we are living sin free as virgin brides to prepare for the Groom, the 2nd coming of Jesus.
Amen.
As always, I write what is in my heart to encourage us to examine ourselves and make changes if need be. Years ago 1st, 2nd and 3rd John changed my life when I read it because it is brutally true and it is the Holy Spirit speaking to me. Anytime I find myself in a situation that is not of Christ and contrary to what I stand for, than I am convicted to repentance. If the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, than you can not stay in your sinful ways.
Thank God for repentance and forgiveness!!! That is what I want for all of us to be completely in line with God, including myself.
Next segment the relationship between man and man.
Note:***This is a Christian blog so we know the history of what happened. I had to edit a lot because I just had too much to say. You know how I get carried away. Also I will start writing article on my blog (separate links) to where I can be free to be as long as I need.***
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