And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.  1 John 3:23-24 (NKJV)

It is not always easy for believers to exhibit “agape” love.    Agape love is more than an emotional response.  It is an intentional act of one’s will.  This type of love demands that believers do what’s best for others.  It values and esteems, unselfishly ready to serve (John 15:13; 1 John 3:16, 17).   In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul describes agape love “in action”: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.   Love never fails.  

But what about that person who abuses you or maligns your reputation?  Jesus’ teaching on love directs believers to not only love our enemies, but also “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).  Love, bless, do good, AND pray?  Is this a difficult request?  Yes but not impossible.   Our ability to love as God commands is NOT natural; it can only be accomplished “supernaturally” through the enabling of the Holy Spirit.  How does that happen?

When the Holy Spirit takes residence in the believer’s life at conversion, He begins to conform the believer to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29); this includes instilling in them the desire to obey His commandments: I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:27)

As the believer’s personal relationship with the Lord grows (through prayer, reading God’s Word, and meditation), the Holy Spirit enables the believer to better express agape love.  Love is the “first fruit” of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22).  It is God’s Spirit abiding within us that enables us to love like God.  “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in Him” (1 John 4:16).

Good to the Last Byte… 

In the past, God has directed me to pray for people who have not treated me very nicely.  I asked, “Why me? He didn’t answer.”  And what were the results?  Did the person treat me better?  No but being obedient to His directive resulted in new freedom and personal insight about the Holy Spirit’s awesome power.   In His power, I could see that person as God did and love them (Rom. 5:8).   In His power, I learned I can do things that seem impossible in my “natural strength”.  God is faithful to His promise when He said, “I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10).

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”   Hebrews 9:14  (KJV)

What is the meaning of that great word eternal? Too often it is employed as though it were synonymous with everlasting. But the two words stand for two very different things. Everlasting conveys the idea of the duration of time; whereas eternal stands for the quality and character of the existence referred to which is absolutely timeless.  The eternal is that which is not measured by duration, which has I no succession of years, which cannot be described as past or future. It is the dateless present, and can only be used, therefore, of God, the I AM, because He lives in the eternal now. He never was and never will be anything that He is not at this present moment, and only that which partakes of His Being can be termed eternal.  

 When, therefore, we are told that our Lord offered Himself to God through the Eternal Spirit, we must believe that in the Cross there was this element of Timelessness. Our Lord was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). The Cross of Christ has been contemporaneous with all the generations of mankind, and it is this attribute of Timelessness which gives the Cross its perennial power. There is a sense in which Christ is always being wounded by our transgressions, bruised by our iniquities, chastised for our peace, and bearing the stripes that procure our healing.

The Cross of Christ stands with open arms to welcome every sinful soul. The nails are not rusted or blunted by the years that have passed since they were driven into the flesh of Christ our Lord. And as we humble ourselves, and submit our proud and selfish soul-life to be nailed with Him to the Cross, in the power of the Eternal Spirit, out of suffering comes life to those to whom we minister, as we serve the Living God, and we can say with the Apostle: “Death worketh in us, but life in you.” (2 Cor. 4:10-12).

 PRAYER:  We bless Thee, Lord Jesus, that Thou didst not withhold Thyself from the Cross. Enable us by the Eternal Spirit to surrender our life to Calvary, that Thy risen life may become manifest in our mortal flesh.

If you’re like me, there are certain books of the Bible which hold a fond spot in your heart. In the New Testament, my favorites are Romans, Hebrew, and both letters to the church at Corinth.  I like these books because they communicate God’s indescribable love for sinful man and our desperate need for His grace.  In the Old Testament, my favorites are Isaiah and the Psalms.  Both books bestow comfort and reassurance to my spirit.  The Psalms, which I call the “Songbook of the Soul”, provide spiritual context for my daily activities.  God “meets me” in the Psalms.   Here are a few of our “favorite meeting places.”  

Psalm 4:8             “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”  Dangers and perils are ever present in our community; when I pray “deliver me from evil” I can safely rest knowing He is with me.  I am never alone.  His eye is continuallyon me—He is my peace. 

Psalms 42:1         “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”   When my life becomes hectic and crazy with the events of living, I thirst for the Lord.  He is my release and my relief.  He provides the basics of life—He is my living water.

Psalm 62:1          “Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.”  To silently wait is a personal challenge for me.   My flesh wants what it wants right now.  God is teaching me to depend on Him for all my needs—He is faithful and dependable.

Psalm 66:2b        “Make His praise glorious.”  All things are created by Him and there is no other like Him.  My praise to Him acknowledges His universal Lordship.  He deserves praise and honor for His goodness and His greatness—He alone is worthy of my total loyalty and all my praise.    

Psalm 107:1        “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.”  If I lived a lifetime, there would not be sufficient time to thank God for all He has done, is doing, and will do for me How do I say thanks?  By living for Him daily—He is my God both now and through eternity.   

Where do you meet God?