True Love
False love is emotion. True love is obedience.
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
That means love is not a feeling, love is a choice! To extend love...to choose love... renews the mind will and emotions. Growing in love renews the heart and drives out all fear. To chose to love means to chose to obey God. There is not one drop of love in all of creation that was created outside of God. He is the "spring" of love. Love is a fruit of the presence of God.
I John 4:18-19 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
To chose to love God...to obey Him...is to choose to tap into the river of love. This changes my thoughts, my feelings, and my desires and produces more love flowing through my life...the reward for love IS love...love expands. True love must expand. That is one reason the God of love must be the three in one. Our God is perfect love within Himself. He chose, in His wisdom and delight, to expand the burning love of the fellowship of the Trinity to us!
This expansion of love...it is the natural extension of the kingdom...the government of God. All of creation was programmed in the language of love. Only rebellion broke the working of love in every connection of life and relationship...this is what is being re-established in all creation. We all have a choice if we will participate, or try to live outside the government of love.
One of the enemy's chief strategies is to substitute real love, which is obedience to God, for false love, which is emotion generated within the human heart. This is a subtle strategy of manipulation, for the human heart is dark and slippery...easily manipulated:
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 give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
This subtle manipulation of exchanging obedience to God for emotional loyalty to others is a strategy designed by satan intended to move you from the fear of the Lord, which is where you truly tap into real love...into the fear of man, where, guided by emotion, you make pleasing those around you more important than obeying invisible Jesus. This is what humanistic leaders desire...your loyalty. Giving loyalty to people is a hallmark of satan's kingdom. Satan's kingdom trades power for loyalty. This does not increase the kingdom of God...it is a subtle ruse to extend the kingdom of darkness under the banner of emotional love. Many leaders will say "Listen to me. I will tell you what God wants." This is not the way the true kingdom of love works. A true leader in the kingdom of love will encourage you to listen to God individually...to develop your relationship with God more deeply and obey God's leading with more faith.
This is what Jesus wants for each individual believer:
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Jesus also prizes loyalty, though...just not in a manipulative way! Jesus prizes loyalty first to God, but then overflowing into people! The difference between the manipulation of emotional love by the kingdom of darkness and the true operation of love in Jesus' household is based on obedience...abiding in God as a first priority. This is the fear of the Lord...which means making God's opinion more important than anyone else's. This is where wisdom begins:
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
God values loyalty, but loyalty in the kingdom of God is based in love...abiding in Jesus...getting our information from Jesus guarantees we walk in love towards other people. This is why the entire kingdom value system...called the law and the prophets...hang on these two commandments: FIRST love God wholeheartedly, which MUST overflow into the SECOND: love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
We must not alter the order of operations in this equation given by Jesus. In fact, changing the order of these two commandments is a major thrust of satan's deception...to cut out the first step and get a bunch of people to agree together about what God might want leaves the entire community vulnerable to the manipulation of lying demons!...no!...perfect love is rooted in the individual abiding in God...anything less is easily manipulated by satan.
Unity will be developed in the Bride by obeying Jesus. Unity will not happen by us all agreeing with each other about God. Unity will happen when we agree with God about each other. I imagine God as the "hub"...the center in a "wheel" of all kingdom relationships...the trajectory of my life is somewhere on a "spoke" that ultimately connects to God...along with every other spoke that connects to others in the kingdom. If we all travel along our individual spoke closer to God...we MUST get closer to each other in understanding, power, and love! This is simple geometry. Getting closer to God is the formula for true unity among believers....not getting closer to each other outside of unwavering loyalty to the individual experience of the still small voice of abiding.
This is what it means to have God be the seal of love on our hearts (love expressed in abiding) and our arm (love expressed in work). Love only truly flows from the spring of love, which is God. To let Him be the gate of all other love by choosing obedience, submitting to the fear of the Lord and resisting the fear of man, is to let Him be the seal that every other love has to flow through and out of. God is a jealous consuming fire that brings life. With Him as the seal on my heart, I WILL love whether the world recognizes it, or not...ultimately, the world will not judge the quality of my love...God will!
Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
That means love is not a feeling, love is a choice! To extend love...to choose love... renews the mind will and emotions. Growing in love renews the heart and drives out all fear. To chose to love means to chose to obey God. There is not one drop of love in all of creation that was created outside of God. He is the "spring" of love. Love is a fruit of the presence of God.
I John 4:18-19 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
To chose to love God...to obey Him...is to choose to tap into the river of love. This changes my thoughts, my feelings, and my desires and produces more love flowing through my life...the reward for love IS love...love expands. True love must expand. That is one reason the God of love must be the three in one. Our God is perfect love within Himself. He chose, in His wisdom and delight, to expand the burning love of the fellowship of the Trinity to us!
This expansion of love...it is the natural extension of the kingdom...the government of God. All of creation was programmed in the language of love. Only rebellion broke the working of love in every connection of life and relationship...this is what is being re-established in all creation. We all have a choice if we will participate, or try to live outside the government of love.
One of the enemy's chief strategies is to substitute real love, which is obedience to God, for false love, which is emotion generated within the human heart. This is a subtle strategy of manipulation, for the human heart is dark and slippery...easily manipulated:
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 give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
This subtle manipulation of exchanging obedience to God for emotional loyalty to others is a strategy designed by satan intended to move you from the fear of the Lord, which is where you truly tap into real love...into the fear of man, where, guided by emotion, you make pleasing those around you more important than obeying invisible Jesus. This is what humanistic leaders desire...your loyalty. Giving loyalty to people is a hallmark of satan's kingdom. Satan's kingdom trades power for loyalty. This does not increase the kingdom of God...it is a subtle ruse to extend the kingdom of darkness under the banner of emotional love. Many leaders will say "Listen to me. I will tell you what God wants." This is not the way the true kingdom of love works. A true leader in the kingdom of love will encourage you to listen to God individually...to develop your relationship with God more deeply and obey God's leading with more faith.
This is what Jesus wants for each individual believer:
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Jesus also prizes loyalty, though...just not in a manipulative way! Jesus prizes loyalty first to God, but then overflowing into people! The difference between the manipulation of emotional love by the kingdom of darkness and the true operation of love in Jesus' household is based on obedience...abiding in God as a first priority. This is the fear of the Lord...which means making God's opinion more important than anyone else's. This is where wisdom begins:
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
God values loyalty, but loyalty in the kingdom of God is based in love...abiding in Jesus...getting our information from Jesus guarantees we walk in love towards other people. This is why the entire kingdom value system...called the law and the prophets...hang on these two commandments: FIRST love God wholeheartedly, which MUST overflow into the SECOND: love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
We must not alter the order of operations in this equation given by Jesus. In fact, changing the order of these two commandments is a major thrust of satan's deception...to cut out the first step and get a bunch of people to agree together about what God might want leaves the entire community vulnerable to the manipulation of lying demons!...no!...perfect love is rooted in the individual abiding in God...anything less is easily manipulated by satan.
Unity will be developed in the Bride by obeying Jesus. Unity will not happen by us all agreeing with each other about God. Unity will happen when we agree with God about each other. I imagine God as the "hub"...the center in a "wheel" of all kingdom relationships...the trajectory of my life is somewhere on a "spoke" that ultimately connects to God...along with every other spoke that connects to others in the kingdom. If we all travel along our individual spoke closer to God...we MUST get closer to each other in understanding, power, and love! This is simple geometry. Getting closer to God is the formula for true unity among believers....not getting closer to each other outside of unwavering loyalty to the individual experience of the still small voice of abiding.
This is what it means to have God be the seal of love on our hearts (love expressed in abiding) and our arm (love expressed in work). Love only truly flows from the spring of love, which is God. To let Him be the gate of all other love by choosing obedience, submitting to the fear of the Lord and resisting the fear of man, is to let Him be the seal that every other love has to flow through and out of. God is a jealous consuming fire that brings life. With Him as the seal on my heart, I WILL love whether the world recognizes it, or not...ultimately, the world will not judge the quality of my love...God will!
Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame.
Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Comments
Post a Comment
I appreciate your comments.