"Love Never Fails"
[/align][/align]We live within a world and society in which the majority of the collective culturesare bound by the ideals of ego-ism and self-centeredness. Thus the eyes of many have been blinded to the Light of Christ and their hearts are not only far from God, but also each other. Whenever people focus mainly upon themselves, they erect walls of division which separate us from each other, and is it any wonder why the "house" cannot stand? [/align][/align]The word, "love", has oftentimes been used nonchalantly and the meaning of it has become so cheapened and diluted to the point where many have become disillusioned and disgusted by the mere mention of it. But the Spirit of the Lord is drawing His people deeper into the revelation of Who and What it truly is. Within the Greek language, there are mainly four different terms used in order to capture the nuances of love, breaking it down into four distinct but related dimensions. The first of these is "Eros", which is thedesire of physical pleasure, focusing solely upon the flesh of another person. Secondly, there is "Phileo", the caring love of friends. Thirdly, we have "Storge",the affection that parents have for their children. Last and most importantly of all, there is "Agape", which is the unlimited, holy, and unconditional God-Love, being from and for Him and others, even as our very selves. Both "Phileo" and "Agape" are the main Greekwords within the New Testament,...and I am highlighting the latter within this message. [/align][/align](2 Timothy 3:1-5) "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come : For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"[/align][/align]If you notice,...this is speaking of those : "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." These are so-called "Christians" that the apostle Paul wasspeaking of. Some of you may be thinking, "well, I could never be that bad". But let me share this :[/align]
[/align](Jeremiah 17:9,10) "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to every man according to his own ways, according to the fruit of his doings." [/align][/align](Romans 7:18,19) "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; For to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." [/align][/align]It is when we do not embrace the power of the Cross of the Lord, allowing Him to crucify our fallen, carnal self-nature within every aspect of our lives, that evil will creep upto defile and contaminate us. Many are spiritually bound up by darkness in the love of self, of pleasures, and of worldly treasures. These are the lusts of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life, being contrary to the holy nature of our beloved Father of lights. This world is inhabited with many (outside and within the Church) whose hearts are filled with such a degree of selfishness, that in ungodly competition, they do practically anything to for self-gain, even at the expense of others, no matter how much it harms them. [/align][/align]Also, it is very easy to slip into "Eros", the lust for fleshly pleasures from others, for we all desire pleasure. But wheneverour desiredoes not abide within the proper and righteous context and parameters which God has established, we open ourselves up to dark forces which will seduce and ensnare, drawing us further and further away from the true liberation and freedom of spirit, mind, and body. [/align][/align]Likewise, there are many who have opened themselves up to loving others in a genuine and heartfelt way,...but after becoming used, abused, rejected, hurt, and heartbroken from negative experiences in relationships, they have recoiled and withdrawn into an emotional and spiritual"cave", being "locked" intoa "prison" of their own choosing, even if done unintentially. It is a tragedy to see many who fear intimacy, due to not wanting to be hurt again, and everytime others come close to them, they once again shun and hide from the attention, retreating as a form of self-"preservation". [/align][/align]Just the same, many have chosen to only abide within their owncomfort zonesalong withotherswhom they personally know and respect, and avoid any contact with those of opposing views and mindsets. Even if it isn't acknowledged, this is a form of extreme separationism. We are called to be imitators of Christ, and as we read the Gospels about His works, we see that He went out and communicated in unconditional love with those of opposite classes and cultures,including the prostitutes, tax collectors, Gentiles, etc., even while the religious leaders were mocking and scoffing at Him for doing so. He also preached that we should care for, love, and pray for our enemies, even if we receive harsh actions and persecutions from them. [/align][/align](1 Cor.13:4-8a)"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." [/align][/align]Of course, we cannot effectively do this exclusively from withinour own nature, due to limitations, insufficiencies, and weaknesses. But God IS Love, and as we continually abide in Him, allowing His Essence to flow through into the lives of others, we are tapping into a limit-less "Stream" of life and positive Energy which is pure and holy, undefiled, and blameless. [/align][/align]
As I mentioned within one of my previous articles, "the Scriptures reveal that our heart is like a well or spring, in which spiritual forces and energies flow out of, thus affecting everything. These spiritual energies can either consist of being the pure Presence, Anointing,and Virtue of the Holy Spirit, or the impure, dark satanic energies of evil. [/align][/align][/align][/align]
(Proverbs 4:23) "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." [/align][/align]We must be diligent to keep and guard our heart, for out of it flows the issues and forces of this life. It acts as a "gateway" of sorts, through which spiritual power comes out of us, whether it be Good or evil, providing blessing or a curse. [/align][/align](Luke 6:45) "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." [/align][/align](Matthew 6:21) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." [/align][/align][/align]
(John 7:38) "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." [/align][/align]As we open our hearts to God and seek His face consistently through prayer, meditating in His Word, being passionate and intimatein praise and worship, and communing with Him through the Spirit on a continual basis,...He will fill us more and more with His Agape-Love, and the overflow of It will go forth into the lives of others around us. [/align][/align][/align]
(Matt. 22:37b-41) "'...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." [/align][/align](John 13:34-35) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." [/align][/align]Much too often,...there is strife and division within the collective Church and Body of Christ,..and it's no wonder that many people in the world do not believe thatnumerous Christiansare godly and genuine. But as we love one another unconditionally, regardless of gender, race, background, denomination, theological preference, etc., they will see it and know that we are His disciples indeed. [/align][/align]May we always remember that the Lord taught that whatever we do unto others, we do likewise unto Him, and may we as a Body not refuse food to those who hunger, drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless strangers, clothes to the naked, visitations to the sick, as well as those in prison. For as we do to them, we do to Him, and whenever we refrain from helping those in need, we withhold it also from Him. (Matt.25:33-46) Some may assume that we should only do these things to those who have been good to us, but it's not so. Just as God causes His sun to rise, and the rain and blessing to come down upon the just AND the unjust, so likewise, we must love our enemies as He does, being merciful and perfect even as our heavenly Father is. (Matt. 5:43-48) For we are His offspring, and the very reflection of His image and likeness.[/align][/align]
(Romans 12:20,21) "Therefore 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." [/align][/align]Themeaning of this Scripture aboutour unconditional love will heaping "coals of fire" on the head of our enemies, is simply thatmany of themwill inwardly become convicted by this love that we share, not understanding the expressions of mercy and compassion. They will usually have a harder time mistreating you, for they begin to increasingly see that their malice towards you is inexcusable. Thus,..oftentimes, this opens the "door" of their hearts to the penetrating Truth of Christ our Lord, and thereby, they become saved by the goodness of God which leads them to repentance. [/align][/align][/align]We will one day give an account for what we did or didn't do, and I pray that we all may be wise and led by the Holy Spirit in all things, complying to the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God the Father.[/align][/align]Now toclose with this prayer for us all :[/align][/align]Father God,we ask that You draw us to open up our hearts and lives to You completely and without reservation. And that in doing so, Your Light will expose any wayward thing within us that is contrary to Your holy nature. Remove all of our dark placesand heal us of our inner wounds. For Your Son has redeemed us from the Curse, by His stripes on that cross wewere healed, and through Your grace, we are receiving this by faith. Bring those of us who have been 'hiding' within our self-formed "caves" and 'locked' within our "prisons" to come out and become warmed by the sweet and loving Light of Your Son of Righteousness who rises with healing in His wings. Make our crooked paths straight again, and raise our deep and dark valleys into high mountaintops. Our inner barren deserts shall become as fruitful and fragrant gardens teeming with abundant liveliness,...all because of Your love which is without measure. We love You Lord, for You have first loved us. Thank You, in the precious Name of Yeshua(Jesus) we pray. Amen.[/align][/align][/align]In HIM we live, move, and have our being,[/align][/align][/align]
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"Blessed is He who Comes in The Name of The Lord"
Love Never Fails
