LOVE

God Is Love

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.  By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:14-18

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 whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 1 Corinthians 13:4-9

Love is demonstrated by action and not by words alone. So many Christians use the word “love” so flippantly and say “we love you!” But they demonstrate no action to back up their words and they love you as long as you do what they want or agree with whatever they are espousing!

But God demonstrated His unconditional love for people by giving His only Son, Jesus Christ, and His wonderful Holy Spirit to those who responded to His love!  God did just say “I love you” but He demonstrated by His sacrificial giving! We know love, because Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren otherwise we are not brethren but sons of disobedience.

Christians who have this world's goods when they see their brother in need, they don’t shut up their heart from him, demonstrating that the love of God abides in them. They love not in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And those so called Christians who don’t love their brethren in deed and in truth abide in death.

Yes, whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Unfortunately for them most so called professing Christians are not Christians and they have proved it by not being full of God’s love and demonstrating God’s love in deed and in truth! God has called His people to walk in love and understanding. He wants them to be unified and in agreement because that is when they are most effective for the kingdom. But the enemy stirs up strife and confusion through foolish words from an uncontrolled tongue. God’s word is unchanging:

An ungodly man digs up evil,  And it is on his lips like a burning fire.  A perverse man sows strife,  And a whisperer separates the best of friends.  Proverbs 16:27-28

Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.  Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.   Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.  For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:10-18

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.  1 Peter 3:7

Yes divisions including between a man and wife hinder our prayers when we don’t walk in love and understanding. Our prayers are answered when we walk in the power of agreement and unity.   We are called  to walk worthy of our calling with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We are called to balance the gift of the Spirit with the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. God’s word is unchanging:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:19-26

Yes, the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control,  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, we must also walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh!

God has never planned nor intended that the gifts and fruit of the Spirit lay dormant in the lives of His people. When He gave them His only begotten Son, Jesus, and His wonderful counselor the Holy Spirit, He had planned that they would walk in love and adorn their lives with the single fruit of the Spirit including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He had willed that they should be 'filled with the fruits of righteousness' (Philippians 1:11). They should be 'neither barren nor unfruitful' (2 Peter 1:8). "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." (Ephesians 5:9)

God has given His people the fruits of the Spirit only with a view to fill us with the qualities of goodness, righteousness and truth. The gifts of the Spirit and the fruits are to go hand in hand together with love being the unifying force because God’s word is unchanging:

"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." 1 John 4:18

"Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Ephesians 1:4

"Let love be without hypocrisy." Romans 12:9

"Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith."1 Timothy 1:5

Yes, the fruits of the Spirit come from love born out of a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. That is why God works on us to develop in us a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith so that the great fountain of Love will spring in us, only if Love is genuinely born in our hearts, the fruits of the Spirit will emerge in us. A man with mere 'Gifts' is not an effective man. Only with two wings can a bird fly; the loss of even a single wing will hamper its flight.[ii]

We are not perfect if Gifts and Fruits don’t work together in unison in our Spiritual life. We need to allow 'love' to flow from our minds by the power and anointing of the Spirit. We need to continually walk and live in the Spirit and not in the flesh.  Yes we need for God to fill us with His Spiritual 'Gifts' and decorate us with the 'Fruits' so we can minister by the Spirit to a lost, hurt, and dying humanity that is need of the demonstration of God’s power. God’s word is unchanging:

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.  And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.  And there was great joy in that city. Acts 8:5-8

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ has authority over all the evils. Many times, the devil brings sicknesses to us. He enters into our body and dwells in us. Lord Jesus Christ came into this sinful world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). He destroyed the devil on the Cross of Calvary and overcame him. According to Philippians 2:10, "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth." God wants the might, which was in Jesus, to be in us too! When Jesus sojourned on this earth, He gave His authority to His twelve disciples and asked them to go and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons (Matthew 10:8; Luke 9:2). As He said, they received His authority and performed miracles.

Yes, the power of God operating through a yielded vessel walking love can do in a split second that years of perspiration cannot do including healing a broken heart, removing cancer from a sick body,  giving sight to the blind, and setting free the oppressed and possessed. Yes, Our heavenly Father gives His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13). We need to pray earnestly that the Lord should grant us a mighty anointing of His Holy Spirit and help us to shine as a witness for Christ in the days to come.(Acts 1:8 & 2:17).

We can also receive God's Spirit and do His ministry with signs and wonders.  We can come to the creator of Heaven and Earth, our Almighty God and surrender ourselves completely. We can ask Him to heal all our physical, emotional and spiritual ailments. Relieve us from all the bondages of the flesh. Fill us with His Holy Spirit in Jesus name and grant us His strength and might so that we can be a channel of blessing to others. And meet and supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Our God is an embodiment of great love and compassion. When we fear and obey Him, He will grant us rich blessings. He knows our heart's desires and yearnings. He will fulfill all our desires. We can pour out all our cares and worries at the feet of Lord Jesus. He loves and cares for us. He intercedes for us to the Heavenly Father and meets all our needs. God will always remember us and save us from destruction.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12-13

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation;  He is my defense;  I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory;  The rock of my strength,  And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people;  Pour out your heart before Him;  God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:5-8

WALTER KAMBULOW
EXTRACT FROM Called To Inherit A Blessing
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