"7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love...12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us... .... God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:7-16)
The Scripture is unequivocal about the truth that love is the fulfillment of all the commandments. It is the identity and the foremost characteristic of authentic discipleship: it is indeed the password to access the mind and favor of God. "34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
All truly born-again Christians try hard to project Christ in their lives, they try to project and concoct the image of the Man of Nazareth. They worship, pray, fast and feast on the Bible - all in an effort to personify the Son of God. However, our regeneration process seem to accentuate Jesus as an undiscerning prayer warrior, an indiscriminate worker of miracles, a generous provider of live abundance, a quick avenger of wrongdoers, and helpless forgiver of all unrepenting sins. His message of love is concocted as sexual love and the Cross of sacrifice as a fashionable symbol of arrogant faith rather than a reminder of the briers, thorns, persecution and sacrifice that Christianity represents.
We see Jesus as a friend of sinners, and therefore we feel justified to continue in drugs, drunkenness, homosexuality, adultery, robbery, lying, bitterness, hatred and all kinds of unrighteous acts. We all know that God created man in His own image, but from one generation to another, man has continued to shape Jesus in man's own image!!!
The entire one thousand generations appointed to pass through the corridor of life will evidently shape and mold Jesus Christ according to their different cultures, preferences and prejudices. But Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior and Messiah, a glory achieved not with weapons of war, chariots or power, but through sacrificial humility and divine love. "12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." (John 15:12-14)
Jesus Christ's overriding and messianic message of love has actually not impacted positively on majority of Christians. We seem not to understand that without love, peace and holiness, none will enter the Kingdom of God. Hebrews 12:14. Christian denominations are bitterly divided against one another, the orthodox and new generation churches are in mouse and cat races and even every house of worship is drenched with bitterness, hatred, malice, jealousy, arrogance, gossip, and backbiting amongst members seeking power, recognition and prominence rather than God. Are we indeed authentic Christians?
Christianity is a pillar of blinding light of love, radiating out mercies and charities in unquantifiable measure. He is a Pillar of blinding love that commands:
Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house, wife and properties.
" 27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." (Luke 6:27-33)
Most Christians still live their lives in malice, bitterness and hatred arising from envy and jealousy that have rendered their prayers an abomination before the Lord. They have, through malicious spirit and envious minds of poisonous venom lost their heritage of joy and forfeited God's covenant of blessing for stagnation and misery. Their seats in the house of worship are that of crisis, gossip, and complaints.
Until we are able to cure ourselves of that evil-unforgiving spirit and purge our mindset of deadly venom of wickedness, hatred and envy, the peace and joy of God may never come into our dwellings, neither will His honor, progress and salvation be united to our aspiration. God is love, instructing you in Romans 12 to recompense to no man evil for evil: avenge not yourselves and be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. Remember Him also who irrevocably warned that your heavenly Father will never forgive you if you also from your heart fails to forgive others their trespasses (Matt 18:27-35)
Mercy/Charity: Jesus said to the rich man "if you want to be perfect, go, and sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, and follow me". Matth. 19:21. The master key to receiving from God your needs and your wants, in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over is by practical demonstration of your love towards others; by giving generously to the destitute, the widow, orphans, the needy, the poor and providing for the necessities of the servants of God and works of God. "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard by God." (Prov. 21:13). "He who gives to the poor will not lack but he who hides his eyes will have many curses." (Prov 28:27) Giving to the poor provides your household with impregnable defense shield, insurance against illness, and bedrock of blessing even in periods of austerity. "Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; God will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness" Psm 41:1-3.
Most importantly, love and charity remain the foremost determinants on the day of judgment!!!
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matth. 25:31-45)Heaven is real and HELL is real.
Love and Charity are the core values of Christianity, without which, our faith is salt-less, empty, and completely shrouded in darkness and hopelessness.
Please make every effort to be saved
