THE LAW OF LOVE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2020.

SUBJECT:  THE LAW OF LOVE!

Memory verse:  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13 vs 34.) 

READ: First John 4 vs 7 - 11:

4:7: Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. 

4:8: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

4:9: In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

4:10: in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

4:11: Beloved, If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

INTIMATION:

The law of love is the new commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples; “love one another; as I have loved you.” The new law of Christ is for those recreated in Him. The new creation is a love creation, and the man that is not born again can't understand this love life. And you can't know the things that are freely given to us of the Father until you are recreated and the law of the new creation becomes a part of your very being; the law of love becomes instinctive in you so that you do it just as a hungry man eats, as a thirsty man drinks. It is the spirit of the law of love that dominated Jesus—the spirit is love. That spirit drove Jesus to the cross, and no man that does not walk in love and live the love life, and who is not governed by love, has any knowledge of the things of the new creation.

To love others was not a new commandment. The Sinai law taught that one was to love His neighbor as himself (Leviticus 19 vs 18). One’s love of his neighbor, therefore, was based on his love of himself. However, Jesus emphasizes an intensity of love that is different. It is a love that has no conditions. It is self-sacrificing love that extends beyond any conditions of one’s environment, and thus, simply acts out a selfless attitude of appreciation for all that God has done in one’s life in reference to salvation.

To love others as much as Christ loved us was revolutionary. Now we are to love others based on Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Jesus meant that love in action would be the identifying characteristic of His disciples that would separate them from the rest of the world. Such love will not only bring unbelievers to Christ; it will also keep believers strong and united in a world hostile to God. Jesus was a living example of God’s love, as we are to be living examples of Jesus’ love. Such Christlike love will show we are His disciples (John 13 vs 35).

Love is more than simply warm feelings. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loved us? By helping when it’s not convenient; by giving when it hurts, by developing energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source.

Jesus said in John 8 vs 12; "....I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The light of life is love. That is why when you love you don't walk in darkness. God is light because God is love. In Him there is no darkness because God is love. When we receive the love nature in new creation the love is to dominate us. When it does, the mind becomes renewed, comes into harmony with the recreated spirit. The recreated being walks in love, and the Word governs such person that the mind is recreated. 

The love nature is summarized in the counsel of Jesus: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5 vs 44 - 45.)

Jesus wasn’t talking about having affection for enemies, He was talking about an act of the Will. For instance, by loving and praying for your enemies you can overcome evil with good. Loving our enemies means acting on their best interests. We can pray for them, and we can think of ways to help them. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. You can’t just “fall into” this kind of love—it takes conscious effort. 

God with His Son, Jesus, so love the whole world, and this love culminated in the Son making the “Supreme Sacrifice” ever known and ever will be; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...” (John 3 vs 16.), even though the world is in rebellion against God. God is the source of our love. He loved us enough to sacrifice His Son for us. Jesus is our example of what it means to love; everything He did in life and death was supremely loving. 

Jesus asks us to to follow His example by loving our enemies. Grant your enemies the same respect and rights as you desire for yourself. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love; He lives in our heart and makes us more and more like Christ. God’s love always involves a choice and an action, and our love should be like His.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my loving Father and ever Faithful Companion. Even in my unfaithfulness, You have always remained faithful. You have poured out Your love in my heart by the Holy Spirit whom You have given to me. I pray for the enabling of the Spirit to live in Your fullness and express my completeness in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!