The Power Of Christ’s Love

(Rom. 12:19)  "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."  The above verse is one of those verses that's easier read than practiced. In our flesh we desire retribution for wrongs that have been done unto us, and sometimes we see it happen in life, but more often than not wrongs seem to go unpunished. It would be nice in life if every situation ended up like a happy movie, but the main reason that it doesn't is because God desires for us to learn to love people despite the outcome. I think that we forget sometimes that the weapons of our warfare are spiritual not carnal. We have been called as believers to "overcome evil with good," to "recompense to no man evil for evil." The Christian must remember at all times that the outcome of any evil attack in this world can be turned into God's glory if we just remember to love rather than hate, to seek peace first rather than war, and to do good back to those who do bad to us. In this life we may not see vengeance upon our enemies, but if we practice the love of Christ we will see the blessing of God upon our obedience and lives.Vengeance will never produce the same outcome as God's love.

Once Saved We Have A New Vocation

(Eph. 1:4) "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,…" This verse was penned by the Apostle Paul to challenge the Ephesians to look at salvation as a vocation. It has been said that how we act and how we live is heard more than our words. As believers we have been called to a new vocation, a vocation that is not just for so-called  professionals. In God's Word all who are saved are given the title of "saint," meaning "sacred ones," or better said, "holy ministers of God."  In the above verse Paul saw himself captivated by this calling, and he challenged all who are saved to consider their Christian walk as a"vocation." God saved us to go to the world and not just preach Christ, but live Christ. That's what is meant by "walking worthy."It's a known fact that some Christians serve in their worldly vocation with more zeal and respect than they do God's vocation. In the world I wonder how many employers would put up with us being late, not showing up, or not doing our job well, yet God's people commit these infractions on a weekly basis. The problem therefore is not in our love for Christ, but rather in our view of God's vocation. The only way to walkworthy therefore is to die to our ways and  surrender to walk God's way!

 

Practicing The Love Of Christ Within The Church

(Rom. 12:10) "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" Just how important is the love of Christ to those we come in contact with? Important enough for God to command us 24 times in (Romans Chp.12) to practice it! You might say I don't see the word love written 24 times? No, but it's taught in application just as it is in the above verse. Jesus didn't think like us, nor did he respond to others like us either. No, he placed his problems and feelings second to those of others, so that the other person would experience the help and brotherly love of God through him. One thing that I have learned about people over the years is that we all go through trials and blessings. Each of us have bad days and good, hurtful days and blessed, problem days and joyful, and so if we experience low times so do others as well. Our job as a Christian isn't to throw salt on the wounds of others but rather to be a salve of comfort and grace. Too often we get so wrapped up in our own world that we don't see that the others around us might have a greater need. "Kindly affectioned" people realize that they haven't been called to a life of selfishness, but rather a life given over to helping others. God's command therefore is to love others by placing their needs even above ours!