In
Galatians 5 when Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, he lists love first to
emphasize its importance.
Then
in Colossians 3:14 Paul writes, “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds
them all together in perfect unity.”
Love
is the overall grace from which all the others grow.
Devotion
to Jesus is the only motivation that will enable the development of godly
character. Our love for Jesus and our desire to please Him will motivate us to
want to live out the image of God we were created to have and be the motivation
that enables the Holy Spirit to produce it in our lives.
Our
love and devotion to Jesus find outward expression in loving one another. Our
devotion to Jesus is validated by our love for other people.
In
Mark 12:30-31 when Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment, He answers
that the first is to love God with all that you are: all your heart, all your
mind, all your soul, and all your strength. Then Jesus says the second is to love
your neighbor as yourself.
John
4:20-21 says, “Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot
love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves
God must also love his brother.”
We
cannot truly love God without loving one another.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving God and showing that love by loving
others.
This
seems to be a real problem in our country today. We seem to have reinterpreted
this to say, “Love your neighbors as long as they agree with you and share your
values.”
But
in Matthew 5:43-44 Jesus says, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you.’”
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving those who we disagree with and who
do not like us.
I
read this in Jerry Bridges’ book The Practice of Godliness and I want to
share it with you. It is a very godly way to practically apply the truths in 1
Corinthians 13.
I
am patient with you because I love you and want to forgive you.
I
am kind to you because I love you and want to help you.
I
do not envy your possessions or your gifts because I love you and want you to
have the best.
I
do not boast about my attainments because I love you and want to hear about
yours.
I
am not proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.
I
am not rude because I love you and care about your feelings.
I
am not self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.
I
am not easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your
offense.
I
do not keep a record of wrongs because I love you, and want to relate to you
based on love, not anger.
1
Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love
covers a multitude of sins.”
Love
is not a feeling; love is an act. If we just love in our minds and it never
gets put into action it will never help or impact another person’s life.
Love
is not so much a character trait as it is an inner disposition of the soul that
produces all the other godly character traits. This kind of love always results
in actions on our part.
1
John 4:8 tells us that God is love. God is not a God who loves or a God of
love, He is love. Love is the core character of God.
When
I act in love, then I am acting in accordance with who God is and in accordance
with His will.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is acting in unity with God’s person and God’s
will.
Loving
God and Loving Others is Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
No comments:
Post a Comment