Do we really love?

When we watch movies we so often see how wrong the world’s understanding of love is. We are normally introduced to a couple who are engaged or already married. One of the two then meets someone else and “falls in love” with that person. At the end, they then join up with their true love. Well, we see it in real life as well, spouses cheating on each other, leaving each other to marry the real love of their lives. It is this misunderstanding of love that is the main cause for divorce, racism, hate speech and the list goes on. So what does the Word say about love. Well, first thing is this; love is not a bunch of emotions, love is an act of the will. Luk 6:27  "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, It is something you do, not something that happens to you. You do not fall in love, you decide to love. It is an obedience thing. If love was something that happens to us, as we are made to believe, how could Christ command us to love our enemies. That would never happen if it was something we fall into. We have to choose to love our enemies. So when you fall out of love with someone, you actually stopped loving them because you chose to stop. You are being disobedient and you are sinning. Husbands and wives would stay together forever if they would grasp this concept. Love is not an emotion, it is an act of the will. It is clear from this that the emotions we experience when we think we fell in love, is not real love. It might be just a bunch of affectionate emotions, it might be lust, but it is not love. So what is love? Well, anybody who has not submitted to the Lordship of Christ, does not have love, real love. All they have is this collection of emotions that the world calls love. Love is a gift from God, and before you do not believe in Him and received the Spirit, you do not possess it.  1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Love is from God, and if we have it we are born of God. Love is the outward evidence that we are saved. Love is not something we fall into, it is not something that happens to us, it is something given to us and something that we have to actively work with and practice. But, love is one of the things that shows the world that you belong to God. So, even though the Buddhist might seem like a person with lots of love, what he has is fake, because he does not belong to God. If love is of God and those who have love belongs to God, the opposite is also true. Those who do not belong to God does not have love and those who do not love does not belong to God. By your love, you will be known. Joh 13:35  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  The love the world has is conditional. I will love you if..... you love me back, if I can get something from it, if it is in accordance with what everybody else loves, etc. But the love given by God is unconditional. We must love no matter what. We should love our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what their race, social standing or financial position. We are called into a body of unity, one body and their is no distinction between Jew or gentile, slave or master, woman or man before God. We are to love our enemies, so even when you are being beaten to death, you must be able to pray for God to forgive them. You must love the robber while he is going through your stuff to see what he can take. We should love the black man even though we were raised differently. Love everybody, unconditionally. And by your love, you will be known as a child of the one and only true God. We should love that wife or husband, even if it feels like the spark is gone. When we do not like each other anymore. That is when we have to make the choice to obey God and choose to love. How is your loving. Do you love unconditionally or do you make racist remarks, go through divorce after divorce, want to hurt people who you suspect as thieves and robbers and murderers? Do people see you as a disciple of God because of your love.

We should suffer persecution

We are all familiar with the execution of Christians during the 1500’s in England and various other places. Under the reign of Queen Victoria only 80 Christians were executed during a three year period. Yet we all know about it. Why do we not hear about Christian executions any more. It is estimated that 176 000 Christians were killed because of their faith from July 2008 to June 2009. When we read books like Foxe’s Book of Martyrs we are amazed to read about these people’s attitudes at the time of their deaths. Some kiss the stake before they get on to be burned alive. Some pray and preach to their killers while they are burning. They seem to love what is happening to them. It is as if this is the best thing that can happen to them. Well, if your life is lived according to what the word of God requires, this is the best thing that can happen to a person. If you are living your whole life desiring to be with God, then it is a joyous occasion when you are being sent there. If someone wants to kill you because of your faith, then all they are doing is fulfilling your life’s desire. Giving you the one thing you want most. Mat 5:10 says; Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness sake. Rejoice and be glad when men revile you. We should live our lives in such a way that our holy living convicts others of their sins. It is a natural response of humans to attack someone else when the spotlight falls on them, just to draw the attention to the other person instead. So if you live right, you will be persecuted. If you are not persecuted in any way, you have to ask yourself; “what is wrong in my relationship with God? Am. I truly saved?” Because the word tells us that we WILL be persecuted. It is not just a maybe, we will suffer. Php 1:29  For to you it is given on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake, It is given to us, a gift, to suffer. And when we do, it works a reward for us. Mathew says that anyone who loses his life for Jesus’ sake, will find it. Count it all joy when you suffer for the sake of Christ. Relationships, money, material possessions or any other thing on this earth should not be our first love, because that would make us sad to go and be with Christ when the moment comes. If Christ is our first love, treasures in heaven is our first love, we will be joyous to leave everything here behind to be in the presence of our Saviour. How is your heart today, are you willing to die, are you willing to do it joyfully? Do you really long to be with Christ, or is the fun and lusts and desires of this earth keeping you here.